A Weekly Review: The Good The Bad The Ugly

Temperature was the theme last weekend, with horses and Mudgee’s racing spirit both running hot — among them a possible Melbourne Cup winner.

A week earlier Beiwacht was scratched from the Winx Stakes at Royal Randwick with a high temperature, but successful in Saturday’s Caulfield Memsie Stakes while Oh Arthur was withdrawn from an earlier Randwick event but scored at Rosehill Gardens seven days later.

Primed by Nash Rawiller, Beiwacht, prepared by Chris Waller, would have made the task for recently announced Horse Of The Year and stablemate, Autumn Glow, more difficult in the Winx.

Yes, Autumn Glow downed the highly promising Sheza Alibi making the Randwick 1400 metre sprint possibly stronger, but Rawiller makes a difference regardless of the course.

I was walking onto Randwick and a racegoer approached me with a beaming tale about the ability of Oh Arthur, who, he maintained, had been taken out due to “a temperature” but left the impression the gelding had his hoof on the till.

Doing the form last week he accepted for the Catholic Club on Saturday but drew 14 with no jockey, usually the sign of a non-starter.

Bush hoop Adrian Layt was engaged and Oh Arthur triumphed. Later Layt commented: “He’s pretty handy, to go from a maiden to a (Benchmark) 78 on a Saturday and do it from the outside gate. Good effort. Had a good blow, first turn for six weeks so he’s open to further improvement.”

Layt also handled Tainui, a winner on Sunday at Mudgee, back under the enthusiasm of the Walkers, Colleen and Max, after a regrettable absence.

For the last 20 years, scratching only due to Covid and equine influenza, I’ve gone to this meeting and strongly recommend city slickers should adopt a country meeting.

Mudgee is a racing town with the Woolpack Hotel declaring a sign on Saturday: “Spring Carnival Launch, $6 schooners – races live and loud”.

On Friday I again met John Hunter at Des Kennedy’s Orient where I imbibed Resches. Hunter is a mainstay at Mendooran, sadly missed this year by me because it falls on the first Saturday in September, thus this week.

Hunter has recently purchased a slice of the Melbourne Cup candidate Wine Dark Sea from the United Kingdom. Trainer, he was asked? “Don’t Know”. Breeding? “Don’t know”.

However, it was recommended by Australian Bloodstock with the same wrap he received about Protectionist (Melbourne Cup winner 2014).

If anything, Hunter was more enthusiastic about Chicken Legs who has been set for Mendooran on Saturday.

“Won at the Cobar Picnics last week”, he exclaimed. Chicken Legs carried 68.5kg and Skye Regan at her first ride.

But as the Banjo opined: “The bush has friends to meet him and their friendly voices greet him.”

Carol Burns, the most successful punter in the West and probably the state, was in action again at Mudgee, winning.

Alas (Kevin) Pye the Poet, the club timekeeper, was missing, ironically on National Poet’s Month. Mudgee is Henry Lawson country.

The going kicked off heavy on Sunday and “Rain Man’s Handicap” is a Pye epic.

“I’m proud to be an ‘owner,’ cause ‘e won me quite a heap,

“But I won’t be shoutin’ many, cause the beer ain’t bloody cheap,

“And’ I gotta save a quid or two til next when it rains

“So thank you Max old boy, now sent Colleen to unblock those track wise drains.”

Which is right about Colleen. She does just about everything else. And Max was off to Bathurst on Monday to get special machinery for the course proper grass.

Mudgee is always GOOD as was Tony Mundine, who took the count from which nobody rises. Mundine was a superb pugilist, from middleweight up: speed of hand, fleet of foot and power.

Best remembered by me against Bunny Sterling in a Commonwealth middleweight title bout. Mundine was the outsider. Sterling was noted for speed, Mundine was faster and hit harder. Mundine also beat Emile Griffith, a world champion, over the hill but still good.

Perhaps durability was a Mundine shortfall. “Anybody that gets hit on the chin by those blokes goes down,” Ernie McQuillan his trainer decreed. Obviously he was referring to New Zealander Kahu Mahanga in an epic on Channel Seven’s TV Ringside. Pick it up on YouTube. Mundine led on points but Mahanga decked him good for the full count. Mahanga never advanced like Mundine.

BAD, though, was South Sydney for 20 minutes against the Titans last Saturday. Sure, the Rabbits won but the tissue paper defence at times was disturbing. Consider what a top side would have done to them.

Latrell Mitchell made a limited time guest appearance: a spark of brilliance but dulled by mistakes. The toil and skill of Travis Duncan does more for me.

UGLY though is the video from Parliament regarding Peter V’Landys, Racing’s Mr Big, and a letter to Winning Post from Neil Spratley of Bonnyrigg, New South Wales. 

Racing in NSW has never been better, so why are our two local TAB shops closed?”  Spratley maintained.

“Now our local community club which boasted one of the best TAB’s in New South Wales if not the best, has cancelled TAB coverage.

“What’s next, phone betting only”.

The video refers to the “Rosehill sale inquiry” with the Hon. David Harris, Minister for Racing and Gaming, being asked if he had the power to sack to chairperson of Racing NSW.

Mark Latham, the turf enthusiastic, also features in the video.