Great riding, with world champion James McDonald a notable absentee, saved what the Australian Turf Club billed as “an historic six-week Sydney Autumn Carnival”. Alas, Royal Randwick on Saturday was smitten with an unfair surface. The rail, seven metres wide at the 1000 and further out, handed inside barriers a huge advantage, confirmed by visiting jockey Ethan Brown and reported in the Daily Telegraph.
Brown handled Jimmystar, who eased from $4.80 to $5.50 in the market for the feature, the Group One All Aged Stakes, ending third from the 11 launch.
“Great, against the track bias today,” Brown described regarding the effort after the event.
The major sprint was won by Beiwacht, emphasising the superb navigation of Nash Rawiller. Yes the three-year-old colt had the advantage of the two gate. Still 51-year-old made full use of the colt’s speed, governed by the touch of the navigator.
Age has refined and not taken the edge off Rawiller. The jockey previously scored on Matias, also from two, in the Frank Packer Plate, but guided Unique Ambition ($12) out of 11 barrier, back not forward, to take the Midway.
McEvoy had the benefit of the rails gate to score on Snitzel Dancer (James H.B. Carr) but came from seven to get home by a lip on Captain Furai (HKJC World Pool).
Sure Rachel King, recently the first female to take Randwick’s ATC Australian Derby on horseback, only had a double on Saturday but galvanised Ishikari all the way in the Highway, emphasising her ability to get mounts mobile early, a skill also evident on Mazu (Theo Marks) from the one jump.
For a jockey so light she had the strength and technique to keep Mazu going with Joe Pride stablemates, King’s Secret and Private Eye, being prominent at the end.
So what about J-Mac, favourite in Saturday’s Jockey’s Challenge? Karinska ($7.50) ended up third but should have won the Carr. Ron Dufficy’s assessment in the Sunday Telegraph: “ran into a dead-end”.
Aboard Travolta in the JRA Cup, J-Mac was beaten under a length in the minor placing. The Dufficy view, Travolta had “no luck at all”.
However Angel Capitol, the $3.40 favourite in the All Aged, probably topped them all although downed two and half lengths. “Angel Capitol was the hard luck tale of the race running into dead ends trying to find the right part of the track,” Dufficy decreed.
Beinga hard marker, particularly for world champions, I like a second opinion. Luck, though, does not play a major role. Circumstances over which the jockey has no control, possibly.
If J-Mac had no luck, the skill of Rawiller, McEvoy and King were in the fluke category. J-Mac is a champion but he is also human. The best can have a BAD day. Champions have fewer than mere mortals.
Still the Sydney autumn was superb, as GOOD as ever. While the Swans, with glorious chaos against GWS, behinds a specialty, the hope lingers they are not going to be front-runners who lapse as they did two seasons back.
Souths won but were not mighty against Saints last Saturday. Latrell Mitchell showed what a power he can be against the cellar dwellers, but gave hope he can be a force, consistent, like Greg Inglis.
Newcomer Matt Dufty was brilliant and involved. When he threw a pass that was intercepted, he chased the rival to be a part of a try saver tackle. South Sydney spirit, obvious, too, with Cameron Murray, downed by a late head shot that would have felled a rampaging bull. Murray barely blinked.
UGLY like the decision by Racing NSW to pull financial support for the Sydney Morning Herald form guide. The Financial Review reported it is worth $1.5 million a year.
According to the Financial Review, Peter V’Landys, the Mr Big of Racing in NSW, and Rugby League, had previously insisted that the “whole perception that we control the media due to form guides is completely exaggerated”.
Under John Fairfax I had basically a free rein with a legal opinion often sought.
Since Mr Big, (given a shellacking by the ABC’s Media Watch this week), wielded the economic whip I raced in blinkers, a tongue tie and rearing bit. Channel Nine treated me very well. Racing in general, though? Abysmal, except the odd carnival.
Apart from the paid space it doesn’t rate with Rugby Union. That’s an editorial decision. I played with the cards I was dealt.
Decades back when the afternoon newspaper “The Sun” was part of the Fairfax empire, more newsprint was required for racing fields. Fairfax approached the TAB, then holding the purse strings, for financial compensation.
It was argued whether racing needed the Sydney Morning Herald or vice versa. At that stage Fairfax required racing. When the whole space situation expanded a new deal was required. Enter Mr Big.
Under the financial yoke the SMH has never been as kind to Racing NSW as the Daily Telegraph who pulls much bigger bucks off the ruling body and gives good value for money.
Rupert Murdoch based his early success with Daily Mirror on what he maintained were the best Sydney sellers: Rugby League and Racing, not in that order.
The Daily Mirror always had a critical racing column, attacking administration. The first was Frank Browne, followed by Pat Farrell and lastly Ken Callander. Farrell was instructed by Murdoch not to write about the beauty of the horse but the plight of punters, “dead-uns”, hot beer and cold pies at the races.
It’s a different clientele now. Punters are easier to please. The SMH had always been less aggressive but in recent times have used stories maintaining the “Independent Always” policy that would not have pleased Mr Big.
Racing has been a major contributor to the SMH, now celebrating 150 years. Banjo Paterson once wrote turf for the paper. In his era Bert Lillye was as big a byline as any general, financial or political SMH journalist. These days it’s a different media world.
But the SMH without a Saturday form guide, for readers and the industry, is a travesty.
Another example of racing being slowly strangled. Freedom of the press is a myth. All codes should be working to ensure their fields and form guides are available to as many people as possible. But don’t dare question authority.
Graham,
The authority resides on top at Racing NSW.
Only the State Government can move on him.
He’s got more clout than them.
Cheers
Max P