A WEEKLY REVIEW: The Good The Bad The Ugly

Never have so few at Royal Randwick been in the company of so many greats, headed by Chris Waller and James McDonald supported by Via Sistina plus Treasurethe Moment, now successful at her last nine attempts.

Surely it surpassed the over-rated The Everest, Group one standard but only a 1200 metre sprint, and even the previous Saturday’s excellent Doncaster-Australian Derby program yet only drew 13,568.

With Via Sistina Waller confirmed he is Australia’s best ever trainer of fillies and mares. Benefitting from the Waller method, Via Sistina notched eight Group ones, following the champion Winx and Verry Elleegant.

Currently rated the world’s best jockey, J-Mac was seen at his best, piloting a bold course on Via Sistina Saturday’s Queen Elizabeth Stakes, that goes back to 1954 and the battleground of top liners.

Via Sistina maintained the standard. Rounding the home turn, it was agonising to the eye as the mare was “badly held up” the steward’s reported. But ended it in what was entitled a standing ovation.

J-Mac’s ride, too, on Fangirl, another feather in Waller’s fillies and mares cap, was exceptional. Fangirl charged along the inside while the hairy Stefi Magnetica was held up between the 400 metres to 200 metres and beaten three quarters of a length.

A six-year-old, Fangirl has earned $9,974 in a strong era emphasised with placings behind Via Sistina and Anamoe.

The Waller system that generates great results with the once weaker gender was emphasised by the scratching of highly promising Autumn Glow from Saturday’s Arrowfield Sprint with a temperature, not that high but one which would have tempted many to start in the Group two event, particularly as she is raced by the sponsors.

Yes, it was be argued Waller can afford to be patient and few horsemen, past or present, have had such prime bloodstock. Once connections just couldn’t allow an Arrowfield Sprint, a $1 million prize plus considerable stud value, to escape.

But Waller gets the best out of a system emphasised also by Aeliana, the filly winner of the Australian Derby a week earlier.

Obviously in future the clash between his Aeliana and Treasurethe Moment, triumphant in the Australian Oaks, will be a show-stopper and get more than Saturday’s paltry attendance.

Particularly in New South Wales, the standard of horses and those that make them, trainers and jockeys, is as strong as ever.

But the administration?

The abysmal sale of Rosehill Gardens proposal has stolen the thunder of the present The Championships at Randwick and Rosehill’s Golden Slipper carnival.

Peter V’Landys, the Mr Big of the turf as well as Rugby League, could have prevented the Australian Turf Club from putting the major asset on the market.

For some time I have been preaching he is the most powerful influence on New South Wales racing ever which includes committees that contained knights of the realm, legal giants and landed gentry. V’Landys has more clout than Kerry Packer had.

On Monday Media Watch cut loose with “Reins Of Power” on V’Landys control, especially with the Murdoch empire and Channel Nine.

It featured the disclosure that Kate McClymont had a paragraph on the SMH website, perceived as not being acceptable to V’Landys, removed from her story. She did not cop it sweet. It was returned. Good onya Kate. Incidentally she first came out of the scoop barrier on racing with the Jockey Tapes exposure.

Obviously, the Racing NSW financial commitment to the Murdoch papers plays a role in the current “unRupert like” policy on racing.

When the media mogul started the Daily Mirror in Sydney, he insisted on having a gun turf columnist: the first Frank Browne, a hit man, knuckle and print, followed by Pat Farrell, who lost his Australian Jockey club press privileges because the committee didn’t like what he typed, and Ken Callander, as good as them, all critics who sold countless papers.

Murdoch once instructed Farrell not to write on the glory of horse but expand on the plight of punters.

Ray Thomas for the Daily and Sunday Telegraphs now produces more copy than any of us and his recent interview with Gai Waterhouse on Sky Channel erupted the Media Watch outburst. There were cuts.

My experience with V’Landys has been mixed. According to Fairfax executives he tried to have me sacked a few times. So be it. During his early days I was given free reign. In more recent times the lugging bit was applied. On reflection it was the sporting editor’s decision to drop columns and maybe I crossed libel line or he just did not like them. Towards the end I would attempt an ante-V’Landys paragraph but it was chopped. I didn’t try a Kate because I was only doing it for the sport anyway.

Once regarding the V’Landys situation I brought up the Sydney Morning Herald’s “Independent Always”, which was emphasised with Andrew Webster’s epic on my mates from Mudgee, Colleen and Max Walker, that saw the light of print in the SMH and was hardly complimentary of V’Landys.

Now the Callander – Presnell, an esteemed sprint, is featured at Randwick and hosted by V’Landys and Peter McGauren, the ATC chairman. It would not have happened under the Australian Jockey Club. But I still applaud Media Watch for “Reins Of Power”.

From Bad, you be the judge, to ugly: the whip breach of Damian Lane on Treasurethe Moment in the Australian Oaks.

Lane hit Treasurethe Moment 20 times, including 10 prior to the 100 metres, five more than acceptable, and beat Sun’N’Sand, given a powerful but within the rules handle by the under-rated Alysha Collett. The margin was a long neck.

Such a breach necessitated a protest by stewards regarding the result. The illegal strikes by Lane, cutting his fire power down, would have equalled the slather and wack gained at a vital stage.

Lane was later fined $10,000 for suspended for two weeks.

Sydney jockeys have adhered to the whip rule. A week earlier Lane was fined $750 for too many strikes at Randwick.

Lane is based in Melbourne.