Monday 31 December 2012

Missy Longstocking Continues Rise and Moody Trebles



WINNING DAY FOR MOODY
Trainer Peter Moody produced a treble at Moonee Valley on Saturday, including QUICK SNITZEL (5—3:0:0), who won his third-straight following a 1600m win in the $100,000 City Jeep Handicap. Quick Snitzel prevailed in a race that saw the top-five separated by one-half of a length. Moody also won with GENUINE SPIN (NZ) and MELIORA, as a part of a double for jockey Luke Nolen. Meliora has now won three of her last four and Genuine Spin has placed in six of eight career races.


JUVENILE CONTINUES TO RISE
MISSY LONGSTOCKING (4—4:0:0) heads towards the $1.6 million Magic Millions in a fortnight as a likely favourite on the Gold Coast after winning her fourth-straight to start her career. The filly won the $150,000 G3 McLachlan Stakes over 1200m on Saturday after a win of the $100,000 Calaway Gal Stakes the weekend prior.

Thursday 27 December 2012

Why Race Courses are Clockwise or Anti Clockwise

From the Horse Racing Hall of Fame Library

Australia

Australia offers both right (clockwise) and left handed (anti-clockwise) courses, with right handed being the order of the day in New South Wales and Queensland, and left handed in Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, Tasmania and the Northern Territory.

In his Histrory of Australian Thoroughbred Racing (vol 1, p.232), Andrew Lemon explains how these differences in courses came about: “The Melbourne Racecourse (ie. Flemington) inspired imitations across the colony, and nearly all adopted the same left-handed (or anti-clockwise) way or running, the opposite to the favoured way in New South Wales. The main reason for this difference was simply geograpic, as in England, where the site of the racecourse dictated the direction of the running. But once the leading town had made its decision, the country courses followed unless there were compelling reasons to the contrary. The first official racing calendar in the colony, the “Turf Register”, listed a number of Victorian courses that raced right handed (Bairnsdale, Bendigo, Kerang, Sale, Talbot and Warrnambool), although within twenty years all of them had changed to the Melbourne way”.

Monday 24 December 2012

Numbers to Watch for Boxing Day



Mr Moet and Audacious Spirit lead our Weekend Rewind



MISTER MISTER
MR MOET (26: 12-5-2) won his 12th career race by pulling off the victory in the $225,000 G2 CB Cox Stakes at Ascot on Saturday. The win over stable-mate CHESTER ROAD, pushed the 5yo to just under $1.3 million in career earnings.

SPIRITS HIGH
AUDACIOUS SPIRIT (25: 6-4-6) won the $200,000 Lough Neagh Stakes at Doomben on Saturday, winning by a half a neck over MORNING CAPTAIN. The 1350m win was the longest in the 5yo gelding’s 25-race career. Audacious Spirit is slated for the 1400m Goldmarket Handicap on Gold Coast on New Year’s Day.

Thursday 20 December 2012

Weekend Numbers to Watch (with Strike Rates)


Australian Racing Conference Preview Video


The fourth annual Australian Racing Conference will take place in Melbourne in February and will bring together horse racing industry insiders. This is a preview video, produced by RISA, about the event. More information can be gathered at www.australianracingconference.com.au.

Speakers include: Kim Williams from News Limited, David Attenborough from TabCorp, Gai Waterhouse, The Sports Geek Sean Callanan, among others.

Monday 17 December 2012

Weekend Rewind: Munce Sizzles, Pikes Peak and Unusual Suspect


MUNCE’S SIZZLING DAY
Jockey Chris Munce rode a treble at Eagle Farm, riding SIR LUMINAR to a maiden victory in the listed, $100,000 2yo colts and geldings, Phelan Ready Stakes and then later in the day, winning the listed $100,000 Gold Edition Plate with favourite SIZZLING (11—6:2:0). Sizzling, with just 11 races under the 3yo’s belt, has now accumulated $882,000 in career earnings. The two $100,000 victories book-ended Munce’s win on KEEP IT MOIST (12—5:2:2).

PIKE'S PEAK
Jockey William Pike had back-to-back trebles over in Western Australia this weekend, riding to victory at Ascot on Saturday, before picking up another at Pinjarra on Sunday. Pike rode  ACCELAROMETER (8—4:2:0) to his third-straight win, at Ascot, before continuing a strong start for HARD BALL GET who now finished in the top-two in all four of his career runnings. On Sunday, Pike opened up Pinjarra with the first career wins for HANG ON HONEY (14—1:2:4) and WHEN WE WERE KINGS (5—1:2:0). Pike was last year’s Western Australia Premier jockey with 110 wins. He has 44.5 wins this season. William is the descendent of Jim Pike, who rode Phar Lap and was regarded as the best jockey of his generation during the Great Depression.

National Jockeys Trust is There for Jockeys


The National Jockey Trust On-line shop is now available. Please visit www.njt.org.au and Help Us, Help Injured Jockeys.

Monday 10 December 2012

Triumphs and Luckygray's For This Weekend's Rewind



MORRISON’S DAY-NIGHT, A LONG TIME COMING
It has been a long-time coming for jockey Ms. Lacey Morrison, who won twice and finished second four times on Saturday in Queensland. Following a near-death injury on Ipswich Cup Day in 2008, Morrison’s road back has included having to re-learn to walk and talk after 90% of her brain swelled and spinal injuries kept her on the ground for 15 minutes following a four-horse collision four years ago. On Saturday, the former Toowoomba schoolgirl won twice and was second another three times at Texas, before picking off another second place finish at Toowoomba later that night. An accomplished rider, prior, Morrison was the first female rider to finish in the Brisbane top-10 (in 2002/03). 

Here’s a story of her comeback from June: http://tinyurl.com/c2chvlu

LUCKYGRAY WINS KINGSTON TOWN CLASSIC
LUCKYGRAY  proved worthy in winning the $500,000 Kingston Town Classic at Ascot on Saturday.  Luckygray, who has now won 12 times in 18 starts, also won the rematch with MR MOET.  The win over 1800m also snapped Mr Moet’s five-race win streak as Mr Moet had won the last head-to-head, the Railway Stakes over 1600m, on 24 November.

Australian Jockey Premiership

Monday 3 December 2012

Weekend Rewind



RAWILLER CONTINUES TO ROLL
Brad Rawiller, who posted two trebles last weekend, picked off two more wins on Saturday at Cranbourne, giving the jockey 14 wins since November 18. Over that time he has placed 27 times over 47 races.

FIUMICINO, ANYONE?
FIUMICINO (NZ) (photo from Sydney Morning Herald) moved across $3 million in career earnings with a win in the ATC Cup at Warwick Farm. It was career win No. 6 for the John Hawkes trained 9yo gelding.