Winx got her due recognition, the Blue Diamond picture started to take shape and the nation roared for a hero in Tom Melbourne. All that and more in this weeks edition of ‘The Good, The Bad and The Ugly’.
KEY NEWS:
Weir Empire Crumbles
The story and indeed video of potential animal cruelty at the Darren Weir stable had been doing the rounds for a little while but it came to ahead this week with Victoria’s leading trainer charged with a host of offences, alongside Jarrod McLean and Tyson Kermond. Stewards ordered the Weir and McLean runners to be scratched until Monday, where there will be Show Cause hearings. It’s already had a ripple effect on the stable, with several leading owners and syndicators transferring some high class animals as their Autumn campaigns are in disarray.
McLaren Revs Up For The Slipper
He’s been a bit of a boom horse for the Snowden camp for a little while now and he debuted at Rosehill on Saturday with expectations of a win and he indeed did that with a commanding performance on speed to put them away and win impressively. The knock I have is what he beat, which didn’t look Golden Slipper class IMO, and the time didn’t exactly scream out of a Slipper winner. He can improve off that, and probably will. But would need to improve a fair bit to be winning the Slipper.
Alizee…Wow
All I can say is good luck beating her in the Futurity and then the All Star Mile. The mare was simply outstanding in the Expressway Stakes at Rosehill, and the market got it terribly wrong. She opened $1.80 on Wednesday and got to as much as $3.20 just before jump time, with some thinking the wet track would be her undoing. But she handled it superbly, ran 33.7 for her last 600m and made some high quality animals look like camels. She’ll now head to the Futurity and if she gets a dry track there, good luck trying to stop her momentum.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK:
Cannot go past Alizee and what she did. The market said she would be legless on a wet track, getting out to as much as $3.20, with the money coming hard late for Trapeze Artist. But he was the first horse beat and it was left to the high class mare to round them up from the back and go straight past them with ease like it was a track gallop. A clash with Winx in the Apollo would be something great to see, but the Group l carrot that is the Futurity is too good to ignore.
DEBUT OF THE WEEK:
The Chairmans is usually the second/third tier form when it comes to the Blue Diamond but I think it might need to be respected in 2019 because the debut win of Loving Gaby was outstanding. She was in a hopeless spot in the run but once she got clear air and found the gaps, she exploded and savaged the line to score a ripping debut win. The depth of the field looks thin, which is the reservation, but in isolation, the run was a beauty.
RIDE OF THE WEEK:
Love a jockey that shows initiative and that is exactly what was the case when it came to Tom Marquand and Embezzlement. Huge run the start prior when leading from the wide gate, but this time around he got the mare into the box seat, which was the A1 spot given the tempo wasn’t hard and once the mare got into the clear, it was game over and she put them away. Credit to the stable as well, but the ride was a peach.
SLAUGHTER OF THE WEEK:
J Mac won’t want to watch the replay of Asterius. It was a very messy race and that was just ugly viewing if you were on. Looked to be in a reasonable spot but kept getting shuffled back, then badly held up and there was just nowhere to go in the straight and the horse pretty much went around like it was a barrier trial. Horror watch if you had some coin on the horse, who is going. Jye McNeil on Mr Money Bags at Caulfield wasn’t flash either.
HORSES TO FOLLOW:
Magnate – He just wants more ground. He’s a lovely type who’ll make the grade with time
The Avenger – Coming winner with the right placement. Lovely run from him
Smartedge – Horrible barrier manners at the moment but is racing so well. He’ll win one surely
Fundamentalist – Flat footed when the sprint went on but good late. She’s on track
ONE MORE CHANCE:
Girl Tuesday – Was first up on a soft track off a moderate tempo, forgive her
Paret/Performer – Both back in a slowly run race, had no chance but both were good late
NEVER EVER AGAIN:
Nicconita – Slow tempo didn’t help, but she’s got the awful racing pattern and is becoming too costly
Ljungberg – He’s not an Autumn Carnival horse and won’t be much upside after the run yesterday
Eagle Bay – He went in last week. He goes in again
Tony Nicconi – Another Hayes/Dabernig runner drifting in the market and flopping…shock
Written By – I’m very keen to take him on in the Oakleigh Plate. Looked to get every chance in a weak race yesterday.
