Flemington was all the talk for racing this week, meanwhile the TAB caused major problems on Saturday. All that and more in this weeks edition of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’.
KEY NEWS:
Twilight Payment Wins Memorable Melbourne Cup
The 2020 Melbourne Cup in a Covid environment had it all. Some good, some bad. Starting with the good, and Twilight Payment became the first horse since Might And Power in 1997 to lead throughout and win a Melbourne Cup under such a gutsy ride from Jye McNeil. It was a Northern Hemisphere trained 1-2-3, but it was another Northern Hemisphere based galloper that dominated the headlines, and for the wrong reasons, with English Derby winner Anthony Van Dyck injuring himself during the race and was later humanely euthanised, with questions now to be asked as to why the internationals keep succumbing to injury when racing in Australia.
Bivouac Brilliant In Darley Classic
I’ll put my hand up. I had long tagged him as overrated, but there was nothing overrated about the win of Bivouac at Flemington in the Darley Classic. He was arrogant the way he made a mess of a high quality field, and once again The Everest was the A1 form reference with the race providing the 1-2-3, with Nature Strip and Libertini filling the minor positions.
TAB Meltdown Overshadows Stakes Day
The biggest stuff up in Australian betting history occurred on Saturday with the TAB crashing due to an outage, which meant punters across Australia couldn’t place a bet on the races. The cost of the outage is believed to be around $100 Million and it has left race clubs, most notably the VRC and Racing Victoria, furious. Morphettville took the extraordinary step of postponing their meeting to Monday.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK:
It was hard to get away from the effort of Bivouac in the Darley Classic. Totally dominant and won with plenty in reserve, with Bossy standing high in the irons with around 75m to go, so the margin really flattered his rivals. I got him wrong and I do hope that in 2021 he can represent Australia on the world stage and measure up.
DEBUT OF THE WEEK:
The market support said Dosh would win on Oaks Day and despite the filly doing her best to throw it away, she was excellent in winning. Looked to travel sweetly in front and though wandering about under pressure, she was still able to win. Not sure where she goes to now, but she has got loads of improvement and upside.
RIDE OF THE WEEK:
Bit left field, but loved the initiative from Sean Cormack aboard Goldsborough at Doomben on Saturday. Made sure gate one was used to advantage, and once he landed the box seat, plus the favourite Isotope bombing the start, Goldsborough was always the winner and Cormack made sure of it, riding him like a good thing. I think he’s a leading chance in terms of the locals for the Magic Millions Guineas.
SLAUGHTER OF THE WEEK:
The ride on Joviality was there for all to see. J Mac put in a howler. But seriously…any danger from the Victorian Stewards of showing a job being done? They asked the question of James McDonald, who really whispered sweet nothings and they fell for it. Case closed, move on. If it was an apprentice, it would be a street parade and they’d get Judge Judy to ask questions. Embarrassing. Guarantee that if it was in NSW, questions would be asked and an inquiry would have opened.
HORSES TO FOLLOW:
Diorissima – She’s a coming winner, hopefully back to maiden grade
Macushla – She can win one soon. That was a good effort
Tavidance – Needs a wet track, but if he does find it, he’ll win races this prep
Montefilia – Her turn as an Oaks winner will come next prep. She was unbelievable
Kissinger – Wide no cover on a good speed. Outstanding effort
ONE MORE CHANCE:
Total Recall – Forget he went around. Just not suited on the bog
Captivant – Identical to above
Russian Camelot – He was good. Give him another 12 months and he could finish closer
Amuri – She’s better than what she showed on Thursday
NEVER EVER AGAIN:
Petronius – He didn’t deserve a perfect ride from Nash. He’s a nonny in town
Surprise Baby – Was such an odd prep. But I do feel he’s overrated
Harbour Views – Open Handicap/Listed is his level. Very much overrated
Lyre – She did it again. Found bad luck but she’s a non winner
Adelaide Ace – He’s gone right off the boil
Shared Ambition – Been a strange 2020 campaign for him…but I do feel he’s overrated
Santa Ana Lane – He was gone 600m out yesterday…age might be catching up
