SPRING is in the air and it seems more punters want to provide their feedback on the big races in Sydney and Melbourne. We plan to devote special space each week for contributors and will add our views as well. All LGHR asks is that you restrict it to constructive criticism and keep it defamation-free. We agree with a couple of emails received this week but for legal reasons couldn’t publish them. Unfortunately, in Australia, the defamation laws are arguably such that the ‘greater the truth, the great the libel’. Here’s this week’s look back – from a punters’ perspective – at last Saturday’s racing in the two major States.
CAULFIELD
THE major anger and frustration of punters was focussed on the win by BEIWACHT in the Memsie Stakes. No-one doubted the ability of the four-year-old entire to win first-up, especially with Nash Rawiller in the saddle, but it was the circumstances leading up to the Group One success that had many hot under the collar.
Here’s an example of the thoughts of one:
‘We all know the training capabilities of Chris Waller but I for one felt the stable had crapped in my face with the approach it took to the comeback of Beiwacht. The way Waller waited until the last minute to scratch the horse and take the pace out of the Winx Stakes a week earlier which set the race up for his stablemate Autumn Glow.
Beiwacht was first said to have an elevated temperature, then a virus but made the most remarkable comeback working well enough two days later to be loaded onto a float for a Melbourne campaign. The stallion then miraculously recovers to bolt in with the Memsie. Punters felt the Sydney Stewards should have sent a club vet to examine the horse after it was scratched from the Winx and not relied solely on stable information.
Then we have the running of the Memsie and that’s a story on its own. While Beiwacht was cruising along in front back in the field Cosmic Crusader was running into road blocks and Jimmysstar had excuses with the stable far from disappointed with his first-up performance.
The stable’s No 1 jockey JMac elects to ride Autumn Boy, the roughest of the Waller team that tackled the Memsie, some say on the advice of his manager who thought the Caulfield track would be wetter. Angel Capital was unwanted in the betting, ran accordingly and what odds at its next start Jmac jumps on, a big form reversal and all we read and listen to is what a great trainer Waller is.’
STEWARDS’ REPORTED on the MEMSIE:
JIMMYSSTAR: Inconvenienced shortly after the start. Rider Ethan Brown reported Jimmysstar did not appreciate Angel Capital racing tight to his outside passing the 400m, ran on fairly in the straight and he was not overly disappointed with the performance.
ANGEL CAPITAL: Passing the 1000m was steadied off the heels of Autumn Boy. Rider Ben Melham reported Angel Capital over-raced and did not appreciate the soft track conditions.
COSMIC CRUSADER: Approaching the 600m was inconvenienced and carried wider on the course by Angel Capital which shifted out when over-racing. Rider William Pike reported his mount raced keenly through the early stages, was carried wide approaching the 600m, however he was satisfied with the gelding’s performance.
UNDER the banner: RVL – RIDING ROUGHSHOD ON INTEGRITY, Sydney contributor PETER MAIR had this to say about racing at Caulfield last Saturday:
‘THE following fairly exposes racing policy shortcomings at Racing Victoria Limited.
It is now reasonable to call for an independent review to ensure reforms.
After roughshod racing again at Caulfield on Saturday, it is time to put the question:
Would the board and executive management team at RVL welcome an independent review of its policies for programming racing?
Apart from that, is the handicapping team concerned that its allocations of relative weights in big fields are materially adjusted randomly by the barrier draw? Similarly, are RVL stewards concerned that the management team ignores their reports peppered with ‘interference’ impeding the fair running of races with inflated fields?
The programming policy in focus here concerns races run at Caulfield with inflated fields, especially races over 1400 and 2000 metres. It is well known that the integrity of these ‘cd’ events is compromised when fields in benchmark-races are inflated beyond ten starters – including runners at long-odds suggesting ‘no-hope’ but likely to unfairly impede others.
On Saturday it was disgraceful that three benchmark-races over 1400m and another over 2000m averaged 14 starters with first-four dividends of $15,000. For two other bench-mark races the starter/dividend numbers were 15 and $40,000. Collectively, in these six races, half the 85 runners started at odds of 20/1 or more (including 25% at 40/1+ and 10% at 100/1+).
These rough-results can be confidently predicted on Wednesdays – including to RVL.
WHAT’S NEXT?
It is unlikely that RVL met on Monday morning to consider ‘what went wrong’ on Saturday. Rather, it is clear enough that what routinely ‘went wrong’ with the integrity of Saturday racing is not front-of-mind at RVL.
The issues outlined above, well known to RVL, have been in sharp relief for the decade or more that RVL has been inflating race-fields, paying substantial ‘appearance money’ for ‘runners’ finishing down to 10th place.
That RVL is itself unlikely to initiate needed reforms, establishing an independent review is a responsibility to now be accepted by others.
PS: Fixed-odds bookmakers are major beneficiaries of rough-result racing. ………… put two questions to Gemini: ‘What is known about corporate bookmakers’ sponsorship of racing in Victoria?’ and ‘How profitable are corporate bookmakers’ Australian operations?’
ROSEHILL
PUNTERS felt they were given a couple of ‘bum steers’ at this meeting and were not too happy about it. These involved two Group 3’s, the Up & Coming Stakes and San Domenico Stakes.
Here are a couple of ‘whinges’ that LGHR received:
‘TIM Clark is a good judge so how did he get it so wrong electing to ride Savagram over stablemate Plagiarism in the Up & Coming?
His decision cost punters plenty. Plagiarism jumped straight to the front and Savagram never looked like winning. Of course the Waterhouse-Bott stable were quick to declare post-race that the result didn’t surprise them.’
EDITOR’S COMMENT: To be fair Savagram was rising in class after winning a Canterbury Maiden on debut while Plagiarism did have a third in a G3 Golden Gift on his CV. Perhaps Clark believes that down the track Savagram will be the better horse.
AND this email on the track record win of Golden Slipper winner Guest House at his comeback in the San Domenico Stakes.
‘How could trainers Mick Price and Michael Kent be so wrong in their assessment of Guest House leading into Saturday’s first-up run in the San Domenico?
They didn’t say he couldn’t win but were concerned the colt might be ‘vulnerable at the finish’. That was when Guest House was at his strongest. If form speaks for anything he has to be even better one run into his ambitious Spring campaign.’
