FROM Sammy, a SYDNEY punter, who’s wearing thin of the beaten Chris Waller favorites:
‘DARREN Beadman might have been a great jockey but from a punters’ perspective he’s a pretty second rate substitute for champion trainer Chris Waller.
With Waller and his First Lieutenant, ‘Sir Charles’ Duckworth donning top hat and tails for their once a year visit to Royal Ascot, ‘Dazzler’ stepped up to the skipper’s role at Randwick on Saturday.
Not that things were much different had Waller been present with the first of his hot favorties Hello Captain not even managing a place and another Nasebah getting out of her ground. Third time lucky and Tasima saluted in a race where the stable had three runners.
The Stewards’ Report read:
HELLO CAPTAIN: Began awkwardly. Raced keenly in the middle stages. Jockey Nash Rawiller
reported that the gelding became held-up on straightening and remained held-up until
after the 300m, where he commenced to shift out to obtain clear running. He said,
however, that when Arapawa gave ground in advance, he became very awkwardly
placed on that runner’s heels and, as a result, was checked before being able to shift
out and obtain clear running to the outside of Cheeky Smirk near the 200m.
NASEBAH: On jumping bumped with Allegro Miss. Jockey Tommy Berry reported that after being forced out by Alice Mae passing the 300m, the mare became unbalanced and lost
momentum. He said that Nasebah closed the race off satisfactorily over the final 100m
and added that the mare would be better suited stepping up in distance.
(Cripes Berry gets beaten on some well backed favorites. What he should have said was that Nasebah was going so poorly in the straight that the 100-1 bolter that won the race shoved her out of the way).
Stewards were quick to question the form reversal of ALICE MAE, whose trainer Matt Smith advised that he was not confident of her winning chances. The only explanation he could offer for the improved performance was that the mare, which is still in its first preparation in his care, had taken a number of runs to reach optimum fitness. He added that the drop in weight from its previous runs may also have contributed to the improvement.
FROM a punters point of view we wish the Sydney panel were more vigilent when it comes to form reversals from Waller runners, especially those that upstage heavily-backed stablemates.
EDITOR’S NOTE: We should point out that after well-backed Waller favorite Tazima won at Randwick on Saturday, Stewards questioned the tactics adopted when the gelding settled in a more forward position.
In-form apprentice Siena Grima told them it was her intention to settle forward of midfield from a favourable barrier. But after beginning well, she felt that if she did not improve forward in the early stages she may have been caught wide and without cover. For this reason, she allowed Tazima to stride forward into a prominent position before obtaining cover behind the leader, Collect Your Cash, after passing the 1400m.
As for your comments about Darren Beadman SAMMY, we find him far more forthcoming when questioned about stable prospects than Waller, who talks in riddles, or ‘Sir Charles’ who treats Aussie punters like a bunch of convicts. And perhaps ‘Dazzler’ hasn’t learnt the craft yet of adding the winning ‘finishing touches’ to stable runners that his boss possesses.
