04/03/14
Brisbane’s alleged “Open company’ races sank to a new low last Saturday when Ballina brumby Storm Fabulador won Race 2 on the Eagle Farm card.
Storm Fabulador at his previous two starts had been incapable of finishing better than third in two Benchmark 75 races, behind Carn and Valerie D’Amour respectively, yet last Saturday he won an Open company race, with just half-a-kilo less than he carried in the latest Benchmark 75 effort. His latest win was four starts back at Coffs Harbour where he won a Benchmark 60 (in words that’s sixty) race. So by the law of logic, using Storm Fabulador as a barometer, Brisbane Saturday Open company races over ground sit somewhere between a Benchmark 60 and a Benchmark 75. That shouldn’t shock any punter who is trying their hardest to stay interested. The official fluctuations on course about Storm Fabulador are $9 to $21, yet $71 was being bet in Darwin when the field jumped with no takers, as per the above photo, which shows how despised he was.
The runner-up in the Storm Fabulador race was Caballo Rapido and he’d only been capable of running two placings in eight runs this preparation.
Later in the day in Race 7 on the Eagle Farm program, another “Open company” classic won by Mishani Warrior, a 50/1 Port Macquarie trained mare named Danesiri looked like Bernborough and Super Impose all rolled into one, as she came charging home from last on straightening – past all the other pretenders in the race bar the winner.
The third “Open company” race on the day was the sprint over 1000 metres. It was won by Rocket To Glory, which obviously detests Eagle Farm, as he’d only won one of eight at that track before last Saturday, however he at least ran good overall time, but outside of the three placegetters in that race, the rest came in like Brown’s cows, so they are hardly Open company horses.
It will be interesting next start to see if punters have had a gutful of that cat Renewed Vitality yet. What an awful horse he’s been to punters. The facts and realities are that he’s won just one race in the last 29 (in words that’s twenty nine) months and he’s been beaten at a short price in three of his last four starts. He went over at Doomben on 28/12/13 at $2.70, before going over at $3.60 at Eagle Farm on 8/2/14. He then stepped out last Saturday at $2.30 and dutifully got rolled, filling bookies bags to the brim yet again. Renewed Vitality is living proof that punters are certainly 1) very resilient and 2) very forgiving.
Sydney was all a bit of a joke last Saturday with the backmarkers unable to make ground. And was the track slow or heavy, or a bit of both? Who’d know? I must say though that I thought the run of the Queen’s horse Carlton House was good. Had to like the way he stepped straight from 1200 to 1900 and gave an awesome sight with 61 kilos. That was about the gutsiest run around Australia all day I thought. It’s not easy to plough through slow and/or heavy ground with 61kgs and set the pace, so that slugs with seven kilos less can stalk you and beat you home.
Carlton House hasn’t won a race anywhere for 21 months and in fact he hadn’t even run a place anywhere for 20 months, so it was a better run by him. Wouldn’t it be funny as a tin of worms if there was ever a running and handling enquiry into the performance of Carlton House? I guess he’ll stand at stud in Australia when he’s finished racing, so he needs to win a good race before that happens. And the Royal family have never been poorer apparently I read or heard somewhere recently. Poor buggers. Can we swap assets Liz and Phil – and I’ll have a crack at managing your assets. Fair dinkum, have you ever heard anything so stupid in all your life, as the Royal family are doing it tough?
And Chris Waller welcomed punters who wanted to chance their arm by betting on a wet and dreary Rosehill by having Opinion win at 25/1 to upstage his long odds-on $1.60 stablemate Junoob. Terrific stuff. Opinion had got beaten just over 75 (in words so there’s no confusion, that’s seventy five) lengths at his previous Australian start on Melbourne Cup day at $3.20 when jockey Nash Rawiller lost an iron. Betcha Nash felt like hitting Jimmy Cassidy with a nine-iron when he sailed past Nash’s mount Carlton House in the straight. I hope Liz and Phil didn’t take any exotics in the race, as Opinion would have been about the first one any rational thinking punter would leave out along with other recent total non-achievers like Winning Glory, Lightinthenite, Permit and Bayrir.
And I must say that I was personally devastated to see Rhyno Chaser scratched from the last race at Rosehill on Saturday. What a wonderful racehorse he is. I see he’s nominated for the Doncaster. Oh I wonder will he get a run? Can hardly wait. His form now reads 0-0-0-0-0-0-8-0-0-7-7. I think the Doncaster maybe just a tad rich, but I was wrong about Mishani Warrior last Saturday and doubted him at a mile, so maybe I’m wrong about Rhyno Chaser in the Doncaster. Rhyno Chaser has won two of 28 starts and he’s been through a few stables in his lifetime, but could he now be about to explode onto the scene and win a Group 1? Geez wouldn’t that be a feel-good story for all the boys?
Today on www.brisbaneracing.com.au there’s a look back at the story I put up on Friday night of all the seven races to avoid betting in. What won them? Was that good advice? On www.sydneyracing.com.au there are some interesting racing facts to peruse, including a horse that carried 30 stone to victory, whilst on www.melbourneracing.com.au next Saturday’s Victorian racing nominations are looked at.