13/06/14

Almost daily here it’s the same old story – negative stories written about a conglomerate bunch of fools that are heavily involved in the racing industry, yet they cumulatively wouldn’t know if the Sydney Symphony Orchestra was up them – unless of course the tuba player hit up.

And so it came to pass that tomorrow’s main TAB meeting in Queensland is sadly at Ipswich. They ban people under 18 attending the meeting, so I refuse to go. There are alternatives though this year as the Marburg trots are on 15 or 20 minutes up the road and there’s a fundraising event there to help a young girl out, so at least there are options.

But punters who want to have a bet at the Ipswich meeting have yet again been unceremoniously bent over – and violated – by Australia’s two major weekend publications – Best Bets and Sportsman. The recent Sandown Lakeside debacle of a few weeks ago, which was exclusively advised here, whereby no 200-metre increments were displayed on their diagram of the track, followed on from Best Bets having the 1400-metre start at Scone in a chute, which it isn’t. I’m told that will be fixed for next year’s diagram, so that’s a positive. But now we run head-on into a stuff-up of monumental proportions from both Best Bets and the Sportsman today regarding the Ipswich track diagram. Tomorrow at Ipswich, three of the eight races, or 37.50% of the entire program, are run over 1350 metres. Neither the Sportsman nor Best Bets has a 1350-metre start at all on their diagram, yet Ipswich has had a 1350-metre start for years. That’s the good news, the bad news is that 1) Best Bets don’t even have the right track diagram in their publication for Ipswich and 2) even if they did have the right track diagram, you can’t read the numbers, without a magnifying glass to show you where each particular start is.

At the end of the day it is simply total ineptness on the part of the hierarchy at both publications that they cannot furnish a correct diagram for a racetrack that hosts a Saturday metropolitan race meeting. It’s not as if race clubs change the shape of their track every year or so, just to confuse the bejesus out of everyone. Putting out a Saturday form guide is their core business and all they have to get right each week, yet week-after-week neither entity can get it right, even though they charge the punter top dollar for their publication, as it costs $6.50 for Sportsman and $6 for Best Bets. For the record Winning Post don’t even attempt a diagram of the Ipswich track and think the only place racing in Australia tomorrow that is worthy of having a track diagram in their holier than thou publication is Flemington, meaning Melbourne is the centre of their universe – and obviously nowhere else is worthy of having their track diagram included included in the form. Talk about betting blind.

Then again I guess I’m glad in a way that there are so many “inept” people in racing, or I’d have nothing to write about.

Today on my www.brisbaneracing.com.au website I’ll take my valued website visitors to the 1350-metre start at Ipswich to show them exactly where the start is situated. I’ll also show you the latest skies over Ipswich late this afternoon, via four photos on that website. Ipswich got 2mm of rain in the early hours of this morning and that 2mm saw the track downgraded from a good 3 to a dead 4. More showers are possible tomorrow, so monitor the weather before betting would be my advice.

Racing Queensland Cadet Handicapper Sam Watson has sent the scaled weights through for Ipswich tomorrow and they are Race 5 + 3.5kgs, Race 6 – 1kg and Race 7 – 1.5kgs.

The apprentice jockey weights for Ipswich tomorrow should be:

JOCKEY

WEIGHT

Aidan Holt

54 claims 2kgs.

Anthony Allen

50 claims 1.5kgs.

Luke Tarrant

48 claims 2kgs.

Janette Johnson

53 claims 3kgs.

 

 

 

Today on www.brisbaneracing.com.au as advised earlier, I take readers to the 1350-metre start at Ipswich. All we need is a horse and saddle and we could go for a gallop around the track. On that website there’s also a list of horses I’ll avoid tomorrow at the meeting. On www.sydneyracing.com.au I preview Rosehill Race 7, whilst on www.melbourneracing.com.au Matt Nicholls looks at the Ipswich Cup.

 

The Postman sent his thoughts through for tomorrow and they read:

I’m keen on the prospects of the filly Good Music @ Flemington tomorrow. This girl has returned two super runs this time in and I’ve been looking forward to her stepping back up in distance to 1400m. Last prep she showed ability when winning a good quality Maiden over 1300m, then had little luck in the straight when a fast finishing second behind Shadow of the Mist @ Caulfield. Good Music’s first up run down the straight was excellent behind Longchamp Belle. She was flopped out of the barrier & buried away well back. She was gradually taken to the outside where she worked home very solidly to grab third. Last start, again down the straight, Good Music was similarly ridden. The steady tempo didn’t help her cause, but she still finished resolutely to be beaten just over 2 lengths behind Hot Mama.

Tomorrow Good Music gets back around a bend & out to 1400m which should see her very competitive in my opinion. I like that she’s drawn out a little & jockey Chris Symons is back on. She also finds herself down on the minimum of 54kg & there will be no issue if the rain arrives. The only slight query is the tempo, but with the likes of Written, Cobblestones, Young Tigers Jeuny, and Davarick going forward, I’m guessing the tempo should be better than average. If this is the case, Good Music should be able to sit midfield or slightly worse with cover. If Symons can get Good Music clear running in the straight, I think she will finish over the top of them.

Good Music opened as much as $6 with some agencies, which is a couple of points over for mine. I have her a 3/1 or $4 chance.

Flemington 3-8 Good Music