Expertise of champion James McDonald will be required for the immature favourite Aeliana in Saturday’s Thousand Guineas at Caulfield, a worthy continuation of much content including a Melbourne Cup rendition that rattled Parliament House in Canberra.
Michael McCormack, the former deputy Prime Minister and turf enthusiast, produced a phantom call, steeped in politics and history, of the Big One.
Perhaps he lacked the Ken Howard passion or the clarity of Ian Craig but chanted with the verve of an enthusiast who can verbalise the winners of the Big One going back to 1861.
While Melbourne is booming due to the Flemington carnival Sydney, prizemoney rich but race club poor, is in the doldrums.
Yes, Newcastle, the major program in New South Wales on Saturday, is strong but not as appealing as the corresponding Caulfield, with two intriguing Group ones.
Sure it’s a busy racing period but only six Rosehill events on Wednesday with 53 starters is a downturn like the latest Australian Turf Club figures that declared a $2.4 million operating loss for 2023/24 with the possibility of more financial pain considering the wagering funding model is under threat.
(Only recently the ATC had the $10 million Golden Eagle, over-valued by at least $5 million considering the last Saturday’s Champions (three Group ones) at Flemington were only $3 million each and better races from which the Champions Stakes delivered Sistina rated by Longines as the best mare in the world with a 127 rating putting her equal with the dynamic top-rated turf horse, English Derby hero City Of Troy.)
Obviously the ATC badly needs stimulation. Already voting forms have been delivered to fill the two vacancies for the ATC board. My quinella is Tim Hales, whose figures make a mockery of the intended Rosehill sale, and the impeccably credentialed Lindsay Murphy.
Sydney racing is on the slide but the Melbourne Cup carnival produced a flashback to the past. Over four days more than 285,000 attended, and did so comfortably, the largest since 2018. Forty five percent of general admission were racegoers under 35 years. Record broadcast, digital and social media numbers spread the action to millions in over 220 territories.
Caulfield on Saturday lacks the same equine quality but not the saddle brilliance, headed by JMac, regarded by some as the best in the world now. I’ll settle for champion. But he has the demanding task to overcome a tricky gate,11, on Aeliana. He struck problems on favourite Broadsiding in the Caulfield Guineas from a similar launch.
Greats get the “c” rating because of the opposition quality, and the current topliners are as good as ever. Jamie Kah looks set to get the run of the race in the Thousand Guineas on Zeitung while Dominetta will be advantaged with the tactically superb Craig Williams navigating. Just where will the champ have Aeliana?
Horseback talent, too, abounds at Newcastle. Kerrin McEvoy, riding superb, is against a strong lineup of the experienced including Nash Rawiller, and the rising star Tyler Schiller, who handles Briasa in The Hunter. The bandaged Far Too Easy is the form horse but my selection is Royal Merchant, with the assistance of Dylan Browne McGonagle, a mouthful. Browne McGonagle is an Irish Group one winner and was a junior boxing champion. From the two gate Royal Merchant will need more cuddle than aggression, the tone McCormack’s Melbourne Cup call.
“ELECTION PROMISES” was scratched while at the start “THE GREENS” headed sharp left and burst through the fence” … “THE TEALS” were left in the barrier collectively waiting from instructions from Holmes A’Court …
As the race progressed the early favourite, “PRIME MINISTER” was losing ground with the cost of living RISING FAST” … “THE TREASURER” only thinks of his MIGHT AND POWER”.
“Anyone can win from here. It’s a real MEDIA PUZZLE” …
“On the home turn the “COALITION” is making JUST A DASH”.
Over the generations Federal Parliament has been smitten with horse players: Andrew Peacock was a part-owner of Leilana, a great mare and second in the 1974 Melbourne Cup while Labor’s Bob Hawke and John Brown were not backward in having a bet.
Racing benefited from their involvement but no more than McCormack, regrettably replaced as National Party leader, and the voice in Federal Parliament that contributed to the remarkable survival of the industry during Covid.
Because of the pandemic in 2020 the turf in Australia was on shaky ground when McCormack the Minister for the Riverina and former editor of the Daily Advertiser, took a hand, stressing the urgency to keep going.
According to reports when racing could have been on Covid pause McCormack argued the industry was worth billions to the economy and employed more than 70,000 Australians.
Shutting down which happened in other major world centres would have meant owners and trainers struggling to keep horses healthy and out of the knackery.
McCormack also stressed it was just not matter of “turning on a tap” after a break. Thus protocols and procedures were introduced and racing continued.
Even if his phantom call had a right leaning it was hardly SHOCKING.
One Response
Hi Max,
There has been a racing renaissance in Sydney: real enough, even with the marketing hype, it nonetheless owes more than a bit to the way RVL seems, overall, to have not met the competitive challenge. Even so, some remarkable nonsense, is buried in details obscured by the distraction of success.
As you write, while last Saturday was a very good days racing, race-six at Rosehill — nine 2yros running over 1100 m — claimed G3 status and offered $1,000,000 in prizemoney. Given they were 2yros, and threee had not even had a start, on what basis was G3 status granted and $one-million put on the take-away table. Profligate comes to mind as one reaction — followed by a question about value for money from betting taxes given to RacingNSW, which says it is ‘on the ropes’ financially.
This largesse was followed on Wednesday with $100,000 paid out on a mid-week race for 3yro maidens — one would like to see the policy proposal put up, and agreed by the RNSW board, to run mid-week maiden events on such generous terms.
Is the community being taken for a ride?