HOW did LISZTOMANIA start at $21 at Eagle Farm on Saturday?
Granted he had not started since December 2025 and had not won for 503 days but on his best form this Inverell-trained galloped had to be very hard to beat.
The old story, easy to be wise after the event, but Lisztomania did run an unlucky fourth (after drawing wide) in the Koscuiszko won by Clear Thinking in 2025.
WINTER in Victoria can be cold and if you’re a punter the results can be horrible.
Take Saturday at Caulfield for an example: BELL SAVOIR at $20, I’M FOXING $21 & STOP THE ROCK $81 – good luck if you found any of those.
Let’s look closely at their form:
STOP THE ROCK: Beat two of 13 home at Swan Hill first-up. Did win three straight as a three-year-old.
I’M FOXING: Hard to fault it’s form winning three of four starts, the latest on the Caulfield Heath – arguably was ‘overs’.
BELLE SAVOIR: Hadn’t won for 790 days but not that far away at four runs from spell and was unlucky first-up.
Stewards rightly queried the improvement by Stop the Rock and reported:
WHEN questioned regarding the apparent improved performance, trainer Patrick Payne explained that he felt the gelding’s run had merit at its most recent start when resuming and expressed satisfaction with the performance. Payne added that Stop The Rock had taken natural improvement into Saturday’s race and he was also of the view that the gelding was suited by the soft track conditions. Payne added that he expressed surprise that Stop The Rock had settled as far forward as it did and advised that he had anticipated the gelding settling midfield.
HERE’S a suggested letter from PETER MAIR to the SYDNEY MORNING HERALD that ‘did not make the cut’.
A YES MINISTER
‘MINISTERIAL appointments can be fraught (“Newspaper ‘slapdown’ that backfired: Minister’s order legally flawed”, 30 June).
Many might be surprised that the NSW Minister for Gambling and Racing, a junior minister, felt he had the personal authority to ‘slapdown’ the State’s independent gaming regulator with an edict overriding her discretion.
More likely perhaps, it was suggested that he play the role of ‘the hand that signed the paper’. What we would like to know is who drafted the edict.’
