Wide Gates, Winning Ways: Saturday’s Surprise Results

Sparks fly at the dead-end of the racing season. Anxiety over wide barriers and Peter McGauran’s departure as chairman of the Australian Turf Club all contribute to complexity.

Usually winter performance is a downside for the future but last Saturday promising types were strong in major centres while successful outside draws emphasised the folly of their importance.

A wonderful host, experienced personally on the Callander-Presnell Royal Randwick program, McGauran resigned early, being due to end his term as chairman next January, and influenced by the attempt to sell Rosehill racecourse, in my opinion the worst decision ever regarding the industry.

Still I am rusted into tradition, and aghast at the condition of Sydney racecourses that badly require revitalisation. McGauran saw this as an answer. When appointed the ATC had a deficit of $6.9 million but he leaves with an “operating surplus” of $570,000. Well done, Peter.

No doubt he is proud of the sell-out crowd at Royal Randwick for the last Everest, the most uncomfortable meeting I’ve ever had, the centre once rightly renowned as headquarters.

The first campaign was appalling, but with the 44 percent of ATC members in favour on the second vote, dinosaurs are losing their grip. Fortunately the turf action, if not general race going, still stimulates, emphasised by last Saturday and is set to continue this weekend.

Typified by Winx, the Sunshine Coast can produce a topliner and Half Yours looked the good in the last week’s Caloundra Cup with even the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups being possible targets.

While Flemington was particularly strong with the Winter series, the most promising two-year-old Raging Force scored at Rosehill, described by Dan O’Sullivan of the Rating’s Bureau as “only beating typical winter opposition but doing it with real authority, backing it up on the clock, leading to Group class and weight-for-age performance ratings.”

Raging Force also overshadowed Buccleuch, a youngster who notched his third straight success at Flemington carrying the famous red with white cap, Tait family colours made famous, amongst others, by Baguette and Tie The Knott.

Buccleuch is trained by Paddy Payne, a sometime rider of Tie The Knot and his sassy sister Michelle, who have churned out consistent types since joining forces. Consider Jimmy The Bear, successful at his last three including Flemington last Saturday from the 13 gate.

Previously the gelding had scored once and been second twice and is odds-on in Saturday’s Gold Heath at Caulfield where strong fancies are coming from outside barriers.

Without scratchings the Paynes Stock The Rock, winner of his last two and a top fancy, jumps from 12 in the Three-Year-Old Handicap while Keep Your Cool, the 4.60 favourite in the Benchmark 78, has 15 and will be navigated by three-kilo claiming apprentice Lyn Cartwright.

Aztec State, with Dan Stackhouse aboard, comes from the car park 19 but is $3.50 for the Benchmark 84.

Perhaps Joe Pride’s In Flight is not as far out from the eight launch in the Sir John Monash Stakes, and the gelding has the advantage of Craig Williams, a master tactician.

Like the Paynes, Pride horses are racing consistent but the risk with In Flight is Melbourne for the first time, the reverse going, rather than the gate which could come into play at Randwick with Pride’s King’s Secret (nine), a start winner in the Petaluma, In Summer (14) in the Highway an Lulumon (10) in the Real Estate.

At Rosehill last Saturday five winners came from wide gates: Lordster (10), Diddle Dumpling (11), Estadio Mestalla (10), Cloudland (12) and Brave One (12). Other triumphants had close to the draws so it was not a track advantage, better ground off the fence, commencing wide.

Dinosaurs were educated on the doctrine that the only consequence a wide barrier had on a good thing, was to make it a longer price.