James McDonald, the world’s best jockey, again showed at Royal Ascot what makes Australian racing great amid the $4 million legal splurge to put the Australian Turf Club in the hands of an administrator.
While the Socceroos attempt to get a toehold on a Global scale at the World Cup in America, Down Under did good at the time-honoured carnival, corny but correct considering it was founded in 1711.
Yes, J-Mac is a New Zealander but Sydney developed to a pitch seen in the Duke Of Norfolk Stakes on Opportunity, one of his three winners against Europe’s elite, particularly Ryan Moore on his chosen surface.
Perhaps our outstanding Joliestar, prepared by another Kiwi, Chris Waller, who also gained champion status in the Harbour City, did not score but resounded.
Beaten a neck in the Jubilee Stakes, Joliestar produced an effort reminiscent of Joe Janiak’s Takeover Target, with Jay Ford aboard, at Royal Ascot. Alas the heads bobbed right for Takeover Target but wrong for Joliestar and J-Mac. Overall J-Mac matched his treble at the Royal Ascot meeting in 2022.
Back home it hardly created a ripple compared to George Moore and Neville Sellwood, saddle greats who took their Aussie skill to the United Kingdom in the 1960’s and led the sporting pages.
Topliners, horse and human, are as good as ever but dissension, not commonsense, is making the running in New South Wales.
While J-Mac was on a high abroad, GOOD, in Sydney a High Court decision found in favour of Racing NSW against the ATC with an administrator now set to hold the reins.
The decision was greeted with glee from the pro-NSW cheer squad, who appreciate where its bread is buttered, maintaining the decision was welcomed by “racing stalwarts”. Well, they were not at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
Not one member or punter, in my radius, supported the decision. The ATC is bled by an unfair distribution, drip fed by Racing NSW. BAD.
The current management, under chairman Tim Hale SC, Caroline Searcy and CEO Steve McMahon, presided over an outstanding autumn carnival, superior to the previous management.
Unfortunately the Table Of Knowledge, where all the finest turf minds took their place, has been disbanded due to age and infirmity, the Wit’s Row obsessed with Laurie Daley’s poor use of the bench as NSW coach and matters AFL while the Intelligentsia, with whom computers replace binoculars, could not be separated from the punt.
However, The Godfather, senior advocate for the Intelligentsia, decreed: “I am anti (Peter) V’Landys (Racing and Rugby League’s Mr Big) in anything so I cannot give an unbalanced opinion.”
A senior member of the WR called for a prayer meeting: asking divine assistance not in relation to the ATC but to keep Isaac Heaney healthy, a speedy return of Tom Papley, a (fit) Errol Gulden and “Curley” Curnow to rise a cog from just “good” so the Swans can handle the class of Freemantle and other teams that are ready to blossom.
Overall, business as usual was anticipated for the ATC board. The decision was seen as a negative to encourage sponsors. Of course, the ATC can appeal the latest decision. More revenue for a legal picnic, $4 million estimated for the most recent. The administrator, according to wise guys, reports to the ATC and not Racing NSW.
No doubt Randwick on Saturday was a far vision from Royal Ascot, attended by ATC members, including Stephen The Stick, adorned with the highest Top Hat at the meeting. It surpassed the best of Abraham Lincoln, the US president who fancied sky scrapers.
Randwick lacked the equine class of Royal Ascot but the saddle talent was strong with a spark of bygone days when Nash Rawiller was beaten the $1.75 favourite, Hello Captain, in the Bloodlines to Headlines Handicap.
Hello Captain ended up fourth beaten a half-length. The gelding was blocked on the fence, “awkwardly placed” the jockey related to stewards. Hello Captain should have won. UGLY.
Bad luck? No, bad ride. A few hooting losers vented their feelings when Rawiller returned. It’s been a long time since racegoers showed any signs of life.
Rawiller would not be out of place at Royal Ascot or anywhere the best and boldest take their place. He’s an artist, hardly classic but always watchable, gives vitality to average Saturday meetings.
Youngsters should savour him now. When they get old and grumpy, they can look back as I do about Mick Dittman and Jim Cassidy. Gee they were good.
But they were human like Rawiller and did have the odd miss. Rawiller, though, was quickly back in the good books on New Zealand bred Sunshineinmypocket, built like he would be better suited to pulling a carriage at Royal Ascot.
But under Rawiller, scouting gaps, the gelding produced horse power to match his frame. I would have been more enthusiastic about the hoop if he could have got Crossbow into third, only asking a couple of centimetres, in the last but he made the best out of a tricky situation.
Horse-sense or manure: “Right now it has all the feel 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, “Howard Walter opined regarding big fields and mass representation by stables in Sydney. “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 then be broadcast to all and sundry in advance as is currently the case …”
I doubt whether the top trainers bet. The wages are so lucrative from prizemoney. Too many triers. It’s more business than punt.
