While the spotlight is on Royal Ascot, big fields in Sydney, to some a mockery, others an inducement, Ashley Klein blowing his whistle in racing, and Lachie Neindorf, on the surge of making South Australian male jockeys great again, keeps the local scene sparking.
“Even if these events run true-to-form, multiple also-rans from the big stables can reap, collectively, generous pay-outs for running down to 10th,” Peter Mair, emailed again on what he regards as sub-standard events, following his previous bleat on the topic in “The Good, The Bad and The Ugly”.
“True-to-form cannot be taken for granted — we are seeing and accepting rough outcomes,” Mair stressed.
“Outcomes that, apparently, surprise our top-trainers, apparently, unable to know the relative chances of their 40/1s and 4/1s.
“An integrity-situation now embedded, will be hard to outlaw – but ‘outlawed’ it must be, it is making a mockery of day-to-day racing. Time to be ‘Movin’ Out’.
“If ‘bracketing’ is not on, a new broom at RNSW may be willing to embrace, gradually, a two-runner limit on acceptances from the one stable.
“I will chip away — but remain in the market for guidance.”
It came from Dr Clive Allcock, the honorary shrink for the Punt Drunks Protective Association for which I am president and treasurer.
“Just a comment on bracketing of stable runners,” he emailed. “This used to happen in NZ in my day – not sure if it still happens.
“But to the best of my recollection, it was mostly two horses or perhaps three rarely. The numbers of six or seven possible today would likely make it a pointless exercise and be off putting to punters.”
Author Wayne Peake, so good with his tome “Sydney Racing in the 1970’s, was more to the point. “Small field sizes are anathema. Peter might be happier playing two up. And, by the way I got the quinella in the Straddie in an 18-horse field, most efficacious.”
Thus Peake would have been delighted, while Mair shuddered, with the Australian Turf Club media release this week: “Capacity fields across the Royal Randwick card on Civic Stakes day (Saturday)”.
Ironically my best gamble on the program is Big Red Tequila in the Risk Solutions which attracted 18 acceptors and four reserves, but free of the Chris Waller mass representation. Big Red Tequila is prepared by Joe Pride who also accepted with Dear Jewell.
Seven of the nine Randwick races have reserves, many smitten with the possibility of the stablemate menace, an outsider downing the hotpot. It’s a more modern phenomenon: too many tryers, a pain when they beat you but hardly unhealthy, a point that was questioned regarding gun Rugby League referee Ashley Klein officiating in Wednesday’s State Of Origin in Melbourne because he had a “gambling problem” seven years ago.
No impropriety or breaches of any rule are suggested and it appears Klein was keen to apply his refereeing to the turf as a stipendiary steward.
Certainly, he looked the part, being grim which he carries, photographed in the Sydney Morning Herald on the official stipe’s table.
Being a punter would have assisted Klein in the steward role. The best stipes John Schreck and Ray Murrihy would have benefitted from the pangs of being on a dead-un or one assumed “off”. The possibility of a difficult settling.
Still sympathy goes to Klein, dropping 400 large on racing and dogs. Klein put himself on “BetStop”. Going cold turkey is tough.
Had he enlisted aid from the PDPA I would have suggested sessions with Dr Clive, due to his calming effect but with a proviso: not to waffle about bonus bets.
Should he had limped onto the field following a loss, it could be deduced the punting ref had fallen foul of the toe-cutters, enforcers who amputated a toe off for every month owed to S.P’s.
Maybe BetStop is better, like impression gained by quotes from Lachie Neindorf, a few months back, in a piece by Winning Post’s Matt Stewart.
Neindorf hails from South Australia, failed in Melbourne as apprentice, returned home and then last July moved back to Victoria where he is now on the verge of 100 winners for the season.
Before Jamie Kah and Clare Lindop stole their thunder South Australia produced great male jockeys. Billy Pyers was probably the best, but Pat Glennon, “Jerky” Jim Johnston and John Letts were eagerly sought interstate by top trainers during their prime.
Stewart wrote about the potential of Neindorf, quoting him on the essentials of being a successful hoop.
“You have to be able to talk,” Neindorf, 23 at the time, explained. Many say a lot and relate little. Unfortunately, “luck” is overplayed.
“They can speak to the trainer, help identify what a horse needs and where it might be going, come back to scale after riding a poor race and say ‘hey, I got that one wrong.”
Neindorf added trainer Peter Stokes – reminiscing of South Australian greats – he’s in the George Hanlon mould – is perfect in the aspect “he never gives any instructions”.
The jockey won the Fred Best at Eagle Farm recently for Stokes on Regal Award, a barrier brumby.
At Flemington on Saturday Neindorf has engagements in eight of the nine events, mostly big fields, who will require plenty of saddle assistance. Connections can rest assured they will get a worthwhile explanation of what happened.
I invariably ‘hate’ fields with more than two from the one stable (aside from Group races where the purse/incentive is more than just handy). Especially as the shortest priced doesn’t beat the rest of its mates home nearly enough of the time. What I would like is a rule where the trainer has to notify stewards if and when he/she has financially supported aka backed any of his/her multiple runners which would be then be broadcast to all and sundry in advance as is currently the case with the COT rule. That in itself won’t paint a complete picture (#bowlers) nor guarantee the trainer is a good judge in such matters, but right now it has all the feels of insider trading with the mug punter kept completely in the dark. As a consequence that creates all sorts of conspiracy theories which become tedious. For an industry already viewed by some with nothing but cynicism what’s to lose by embracing transparency?.