Monday Rewind: State-by-state expert analysis on who to circle and who to bin

OUR resident experts look back at their respective metropolitan meetings on Saturday and give us their assessment of the best and worst performers.

4 min read

May 16, 2016 - 2:23PM

News Corp Australia Network

BTC Cup winner Malaguerra, with jockey Glenn Colless in the saddle, battles it out the finish with Dothraki (right). Picture: Jono Searle

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OUR resident experts look back at their respective metropolitan meetings on Saturday and give us their assessment of the best and worst performers.

Nathan Exelby (The Courier Mail)

Doomben

BLITZED

Paul Hammersley coaxed the best from a seemingly out of form Sony Legend by settling back and pinching ground by making his run through the field at Doomben.

BACK

Candika was no hope the way the race was run getting back from the wide gate. She’s ready to excel over further now going on the way she attacked the line late at Doomben.

Sir John Hawkwood should get some weight relief in the Brisbane Cup after having no luck at Doomben. Every run for this stable has been a good one.

Two Blue battled on bravely in the top grade here. She will be something to bet on back to mares grade or even into a handicap in Queensland.

SACK

Any hopes of Federal being a Stradbroke contender went up in smoke at Scone, with the first two clearly superior. Had weights in his favour but didn’t fire.

The early market move was in line with Freeze The Charges being superbly placed under these conditions, but the drift on track at Doomben illustrated how she’s lacking conviction this preparation.

Charlie Boy failed to run on when others around him did. Doesn’t look like he will have the same presence in Queensland this year despite encouraging lead-ins.

Glen Colless celebrates his BTC Cup victory. Picture: Trackside Photography

THE QUOTE

“The owners didn’t know who I was.”

— Glen Colless may have been a random name to Malaguerra’s connections last week, but they won’t soon forget him now.

THE TALKING POINT

The opening day of the Brisbane carnival attracted more than 6200 to Doomben — well up on expectations and the best return on this day since Black Caviar stole the show in 2011.

Danny Russell (Herald Sun)

Caulfield

BLITZED

Apprentice Ben Allen is a star of the future. Has outridden his provincial claim with 82 winners and rode Ciaron Maher’s Gingie ($15.20) a peach at Caulfield for his seventh city win. The kid is just 17, yet has the awareness of a seasoned jockey.

A treble for Darren Weir at Caulfield and two seconds. Seven winners in three states. The juggernaut rolls on and on and on ... and Weir town continues to rock.

Bush jockey Dean Yendall is starting to shine in the big smoke. Has hitched his wagon to Weir and landed a stable double on Saturday — Raw Impulse and Shades Of Bella.

BLUNDERED

Tom Sadler felt the wrath of the stewards and his father for a senseless ride on Lonrockstar. Dropped out, never showed any urgency and as the field turned for home drifted to the outside and then, unexplicably, ducked back into traffic. The stewards’ inquiry continues.

It was not a day for leaders. Overworked into a strong wind and were softened up for the swoopers. Unbreakable was a prime example, although Michael Dee pulled the trigger 200m too early. Had he waited and held cover, Unbreakable wins.

Horses on the rail. Too often they were caught in traffic as the tiring leaders fell back in their laps. The meeting was littered with hard luck stories.

Raw Impulse takes out the opening the event at Caulfield. Picture: Getty Images

HORSES TO FOLLOW

Raw Impulse — praying Weiry reneges and sends him to this Saturday’s Doomben Cup.

Ability — how much bad luck can one horse have, surely gets out next start.

Gimlet — Close to a good thing beaten in the two-year-old race.

Olivier — goes to the Swan Hill carnival next month

IN THE BIN

Bassett — just hasn’t come up

Red Alto — fast filling the bins with useless Tote tickets. Flashing home for fourth doesn’t do anyone any favours

HOT

The Weir-Allen combination

Lindsay Park in Adelaide

NOT

Dwayne Dunn stayed in Melbourne to pinch a break on Craig Williams in the jockeys’ premiership, but didn’t ride a winner. Disappointing by his high standards.

Shayne O’Cass (The Daily Telegraph)

Scone

BLITZED

Manaya; the half sister to G1 winner Hot Danish has won her two trials beforehand by 15-lens but few could have forecast how absolutely brilliant she was on debut coming from a long way back and right around the big field to win a stakes race — not many do that!

BLUNDERED

Gai Waterhouse had losers at Scone, Kembla (of them a $1m dud) and up in Brisbane — not a happy day for her supporters.

Trainer Gai Waterhouse chats with chief steward Ray Murrihy at Scone. Picture: Jenny Evans

HOT

Greg Bennett, the man in that hat and the unofficial mayor of Scone kept the locals in the money and all smiles with a double, All Summer Long and Clearly Innocent both winners on the day.

NOT

James McDonald: Hard to knock a bloke who rode a winner and went close in a few others, but some of us thought he might cream his rival hoops with such a superb book.

HORSES TO FOLLOW

Manaya, Barood, Kapernick and Clearly Innocent all pretty obvious.

MARKETS

DOOMBEN CUP

Saturday

$4 Hauraki

$5 Raw Impulse

$5.50 It’s Somewhat

$8 Volkstok’n’barrell

$10 Spiritjim

$12 Noble Protector, Our Ivanhowe

$15 Leebaz