OK, the Big W and Big Red are now equal on a 14 strong winning streak. But what does it all mean?

Who were the best backed runners on the week end? Who got the money and who left it in the bag? Who is our horse to follow this week?

How many starts did it take Black Heart Bart to win his Maiden? Read on as you will be very surprised.

Who does Luke Murrell put forward as the horse to beat in the Inglis Classic at Randwick?

When Michelle Payne let fly about inequalities in the treatment of women in racing after a great Melbourne Cup win, she was quite right! And yet there is no way an argument can be made against the fact that more women in all sides of the racing industry has been a great plus for the sport.

So why was the comment necessary? And what needs to change?

CrownBet Bookie report – EAGLE FARM Saturday 4 February

Race 1 – MORENDI $4.60, won from THREE POINTS, COURT’S STAR

Morendi opened $4.60, was well supported into $3.40 but drifted to start at $4.60 as the late money came for runner up Three Points who was well supported from $10 into $5 to narrowly miss out.

Darren Gauci has announced his retirement from race riding at the age of 51. One of the better-known racing journalists reporting on this decision referred to Gauci as a “journeyman” rider. He should have known better! The dictionary definition of a “journeyman” is somebody who is “reliable, but not outstanding”, and any fair-minded assessment of his race-riding record will show that description can’t apply to Gauci.

Racing in Australia really heats up this coming week with the first Group 1 of the year being run in Melbourne, the C F Orr Stakes and the 2 year old’s sorting themselves out in The Diamond Preludes. In Sydney, we have the first appearance of the year with Winx to be taking on Hartnell from Godolphin along with the rest of the Waller army.

The terrific Canterbury night meetings continue and they are highlighted by the feature race being the Shooting Star which is a new initiative by racingnsw which should be applauded as this one has been a terrific success not just in betting turnover but also getting people (and importantly families) back to the track. Sponsored by Tooheys they certainly have created some good racing in recent weeks and largely having been dominated by the Kris Lees runners who have been so well placed in recent weeks.

The two-year-old filly Melody Belle launched the 91st National Yearling Sales Series by taking out the $1m Karaka Millions of 1200m for two-year-olds at Ellerslie Racecourse on Sunday 29 January.

Hi fans and punters, it has been a big week in our game and here is the latest edition of my time honoured, sought after Award.

CrownBet Bookie report – Sunshine Coast 28 January 2017

Race 1 – SAN TELMO $2.20, won from FRIGHTENING BOLT, MAGNATUNE

Punters started nicely with the well supported favourite San Telmo scoring in the first race, where he was always the standout horse around the $2.20 mark. Runner up Frightening Bolt was a drifter opening at $13 to jump at $23.

Racing at Rosehill on Saturday and the training performance by Gai Waterhouse with Scarlet Rain was the standout of the week end. Scarlet Rain had been of the scene for 315 days since Golden Slipper day last year and was also coming back from a throat operation. As per Matthew Howard’s mounting yard report wasn’t 100% screwed down and has improvement to come but of the back of 3 trials Gai had her on the mark to win first despite being attacked a long way out.

Saturday the 28th of January sees racing return to Rosehill where we meet a True rail and a week where there has been some rain about.

THANK goodness for Aunty Esme! TONY McMAHON will forever be grateful that his wife Jean has an aunty bearing that name – otherwise the consequences could have been diabolical. Instead, the Rockhampton couple and a group of friends are toasting the deeds of a two-year-old filly called Paradis Imperial, who stretched her unbeaten sequence to five with an impressive city debut at Eagle Farm last Saturday, and is the most prolific juvenile winner so far this season in Australia.

Crown Bet Bookie report – Eagle Farm 21 January 2017

Race 1 – PARADIS IMERIAL $6, won from SOUTH OF FRANCE, THE BANK MANAGER

The undefeated Paradis Imperial was an impressive winner, defying the drift in betting where she was as short as $3.70 to jump at $6. Favourite Cabeirian was always quite short, firming from $3 into $2.40 but could only manage to finish fourth. The Bank Manager had good support from $20 in $11 to finish third.

HE is as comfortable calling and hosting sporting events as he is broadcasting races. You name a sport and it’s a pretty fair bet MATTHEW HILL has been behind the microphone at the scene of the action. Only last month, an English commentator was sought to call the World Floorball Championships (a form of ice hockey) in the Baltic Republic of Latvia and Hill got the gig. For the past week or so, he has been the voice of Hisense Arena at Melbourne Park, introducing the tennis players prior to their matches at the Australian Open and then interviewing the winners.

The big talking point from racing over the week end has centred on Hugh Bowman’s winning ride on Olympic Academy and his failure to ride the horse to the line, fortunately for Bowman he got the bob at the right time otherwise you would have to think that his Autumn Carnival would be over before it began. Even though Olympic Academy won I cannot believe how light the fine of $600 is and believe that a much larger fine and or a suspension would have sent a much better message to jockeys heading into the Autumn Carnival.

Sydney Racing this weekend is back at Randwick where we have the rail in the true. When we have this situation it’s a place where you need to be on speed but the Hard Inside is not the place to be and horses that come 3-5 wide seem to have 1-3 lengths on those hard on the fence.

GARRY FRAZER has been in the industry too long to be making rash statements. The astute Hawkesbury mentor has been training for more than four decades and has enjoyed success on several occasions at the highest level

Twenty-five outstanding Windsor Park Stud yearlings will be lining-up from Day 1.

A lot of stock standard racing around the country Saturday with next Saturday the big Magic Millions day and all attention will be on HOUTZEN in at the Gold Coast on Saturday as she attempts to bank some more money in order to ensure she gets a run in the field next week.

EMBATTLED Victorian trainer Kate Goodrich has lit another fuse to the firestorm which has engulfed her feud with Racing Victoria.

BLOOD is thicker than water! Had it not been for brother-in-law, former jockey Terry Wicks’ persistence, Bruce Johnson may never have taken up training again.

Obviously with only 10 days to go to the Magic Millions Race day I thought we would have a look through the field at this stage a fair way out and see if we can narrow the field down and find some value.

The best racing action over The New Year’s week end was at Eagle Farm on Saturday with the Ubet Summer Crown bonuses going off, here’s Matthew Howard’s report.

Trained by David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabering, Madeenaty started the $1.90 short race favourite having won the listed Maribyrnong Trial at Flemington and now enters the Magic Millions without another run.

Korea’s fancied Triple Nine and Power Blade were third and fourth respectively with France’s Moroccan-bred Famous Mark, trained by Pascal Bary at Chantilly, finishing fifth.

The champion mare Winx said it all for Magic Millions when she was rated 130 on the Longine’s World’s Best Racehorses for Turf, and joins Black Caviar as only the second Australian horse to receive the same 130 benchmark.

Christmas Eve racing on Saturday and we head back to trusty old Rosehill with a True rail. Luke Murrell gives you his selections