The handicapping in this country comes in for a serve on the website tonight and talking of handicapping I have to put up a photo of Queensland Racing Chief Handicapper Lester Grimmett (pictured) tonight, after getting an email from 67-year-old Maud Smithers from Eventide Nursing Home at Sandgate. Maud wrote all the usual warm fuzzy stuff like "love the website" bla, bla, bla - and all that, but said "I used to live next door to a horrible, cheeky little kid called Lester Grimmett and I see when I visit your website Friday night to check out your wonderfully researched tips - that this Lester bloke contributes. Can you please show me a photo of him, because I want to know if its that same kid Grimmett that let my tyres down in primary school". Well there you are Maud. Your wish is my command. (Editor's comment - It probably was him Maud)

Whilst all the media is saying what “a great day’s racing” awaits racing devotees tomorrow at Rosehill in Sydney - that statement is only partially correct.

How the hell can we have “a great day’s racing” when we have a handicapping system in place that denies arguably the best racehorse in the country – Typhoon Tracy – from starting at the meeting.

It is well documented that Australia only has a few Group 1 races, up to 1600 metres, for fillies and mares namely the Myer Classic run during the Melbourne Spring Carnival, the Winter Stakes in the Brisbane Winter Carnival - and the Coolmore Classic which is on tomorrow at Rosehill. Champion mare Typhoon Tracy gets nominated for the Coolmore Classic, but the owners decide not to accept with her after she gets allocated 61 kilos by the handicapper. That’s not the handicapper’s fault as she is clearly head and shoulders above her rivals, from a class perspective. The owners decided they won’t send her around - and as they own her, they can do whatever takes their fancy with her.

Could she have won with 61 kilos? Of course she could, in fact she’d have won with her head on her chest – probably – by simply leading all the way. But “probably’s” don’t count in racing, and now we are forced to watch the B Graders run around for half a million dollars, whilst the best mare in the country stays home in her box pushing out zeds. Now doesn’t that make a lot of sense? Fair dinkum all we in Australia do is encourage mediocrity at most levels of racing.

It’s my opinion that the owners should send the mare overseas and race her in set weights mares races internationally. That’s where she’d be if I owned her, as we obviously don’t want champion mares here. See ye later Tracy, we’ll watch you via satellite darlin’. Sorry.

Queensland Racing Chief Handicapper Lester Grimmett has sent the scaled weights through for Eagle Farm and there are two races that have scaled weights and they are Race 1 + 2 kilos and Race 6 + 1.5 kilos.

Brad Tamer from Unitab advises the following jackpot information for racing tomorrow. Firstly there is a First Four jackpot of $105,037 on the Coolmore Classic (SR Race 7). There is also an Exacta jackpot tomorrow evening at Albion Park (BT Race 1) of $10,586.

The apprentice jockey weights for Eagle Farm tomorrow should be:

Today on www.brisbaneracing.com.au I preview the Ranvet Stakes at Rosehill, on www.sydneyracing.com.au I look at the Canterbury Stakes, whilst on www.melbourneracing.com.au Tim Hickman looks at Caulfield.

Galilee’s preview of Adelaide tomorrow reads:

From last week Tarawera raced forward and had his chance. This week we return to Allan Scott Park Morphettville. Some very good fields and the Oaks will be very competitive, I feel. The Sportingbet Classic is another great race. Will be great to see all the action - horses and jocks alike. At this stage we have a track rating of a Good 3.

Race 8 - ALLAN SCOTT PARK MORPHETTVILLE HANDICAP

This is a restricted race and has a Sabois bonus for qualified horses. I will stand corrected but the only horse I can see that qualifies for the bonus is the horse I am tipping in this – Djatala. I rarely tip in 3YO races, but felt this was a race where we can jag the winner and will be some odds.

Did have some hard luck when narrowly beaten last start – raced wide, had a bumping duel and the rider dropped his whip at the 200 and finished second beaten 0.3L.

Dwayne Dunn is on for the first time, in a race, and is riding in great form. He knows the track well, but will need a plan from barrier 11. Djatala mainly likes to race forward and he has won at 1100. Does he hunt him up early and get involved in a speed duel though is the burning question - as there are a few that will be vying for lead honours. Hopefully he gets a cart across and parks just off the pace. I do not think he can both challenge for lead and still go on and win this race.

The testing material, I feel, will be the lightly raced and unbeaten Mark Kavanagh trained Zhen Zhen. The Galileo filly has won her only two starts impressively and won her last start here and is very welll drawn in the 2 barrier to boot.

But Djatala appeals to me and I feel should have won last start. Be worth the admission fee just to see the tactics of Dwayne Dunn and Simon Price in this.

Selection: 4.12     Good luck.

Neil Davis from the popular New Zealand website www.formpro.co.nz has sent this report through on the NZ Oaks tomorrow. In full it reads:

Group 1 NZ Wellfield Oaks - 2400m at Trentham - 2.22pm

(Please check time and numbers with official lists.)

4. Keep The Peace has been perfectly set for this and has won on the course twice. She found the line strongly late last start at Hastings and will be improved by that also. She can still sit three wide with cover and beat these. Currently $6.00 with bookies.

Dangers: 5. A Chance To Dream has been very impressive winning her last two starts. She relaxes well and with a cosy run has to be right in this. 1. Zarzuela has had some hard races, but has drawn to get a cosy trip, so can’t be left out. 14. Shamarose is a tough filly and given a decent trip from the wide draw can get into the trifecta.