Bookies go right off the rails on Overreach as Tommy Berry proves he can walk the walk

HOW in the hell did they bet $3.30 Overreach on the rails and $3.40 on TAB Fixed Odds in the 40 minutes leading up to the Slipper?

HOW in the hell did they bet $3.30 Overreach on the rails and $3.40 on TAB Fixed Odds in the 40 minutes leading up to the Slipper?

All week she was as short as $2.10, or $2.30 tops, and I, among many others, thought she could start odds-on.

Why punters got cold feet and bookies took big risks on Saturday is another mystery of the turf.

What about the blokes who backed Villa Verde from $12 into $10? Weren't they at Rosehill a fortnight ago when the glamour girl toyed with Villa Verde like Billy Slater running around a couple of tired old forwards?

The funniest thing now is looking back at all of those who tried to tell you barrier one was a disadvantage. Barrier one is a plus whether you are racing over 900m or 2 1/2 miles.

Obviously there is track bias on heavy tracks, but intelligent form students who have studied Rosehill at its worst can tell you it is OK to stick to the rails rounding the turn, where you can save lengths, but then you need to get wide from the 300m.

Tommy Berry and his twin brother Nathan might be kids, but they were professional enough to walk the track after race five and, armed with steel rods to test the ground, they had a good look at the rails.

Berry then told Gai Waterhouse he wanted to stick hard up against the fence until after turning the corner and racing's first lady, knowing a confident jockey is a winning jockey, told him to do what he liked as long as he was first home.

LET'S get one thing straight, Nash Rawiller did not ride a good race on More Joyous.

Forget about being unlucky or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you are on a $1.65 favourite your job is to be in the right place at the right time and to give your mount every chance of winning.

Having said that, I take my hat off to Nash for having the courage to try and push More Joyous into the narrowest of openings inside of Streama in the home straight. Often riding a gem of a race and an "unlucky" one are not that far apart.

No jockey born has not ridden a bad race, just as Steve Waugh notched up a few ducks.

HUGH Bowman took the riding honours at Rosehill with an absolute peach of a ride on Norzita, an intelligent and brilliant ride on Fiveandahalfstar and nearly as good a ride, although beaten, on Streama.

How he got away with going so slow on Fiveandahalfstar in the middle stages of The BMW is something that should have had his rivals apologising to connections and punters. Nash Rawiller, who took off on Kelinni and at least had a dip, is the only one who should have dismounted with his head held high.

Bowman is a great talent and is rightly being sought after for the big races. I liken him a lot to his former boss Ron Quinton, eight times the winner of the Sydney premiership.

The difference is that Bowman seems to go to sleep occasionally at midweek Canterbury or Kensington meetings when there are only two or three chances in the race and he gets outsmarted. He lacks Quinton's all-round consistency.

If it comes he will be the number one rider in the country.

WHEREAS Bowman walked The BMW field on Fiveandahalfstar on Saturday, he won't do that in the Derby next week or he will be a sitting duck for the acceleration of He's A Dundeel.

Fiveandahalfstar found It's A Dundeel out in the Victoria Derby by putting on the pace and making it a true staying test - and that is what the boy from Dunedoo will be doing on Fiveandahalfstar in the Australian Derby on Saturday.

OUT of respect to Black Caviar, Kingston Town, Might And Power and one or two others, I won't comment on Waterhouse's statement that Pierro is the best horse we have seen in Australia in 50 years.