Macca

Well at least your selection got up Wadda ... Rugby League kicks off this week and the SuperRugby is in full swing now so we've got a wider choice apart from Soccer. And then the footy starts the following weekend.

'Surprise Baby' wins the Adelaide Cup ... a real horse for the future. Has never raced beyond 2000m and was having only its 2nd start beyond the mile. And it was having just it's 6th start and cost only $5,500 as a yearling. Sold 'Online' apparently - amazing. What a story! The 3200m Andrew Ramsden Stakes raced for $400k in mid May may be the target for Surprise Baby now ... the winner gains automatic entry into the Melbourne Cup. A day of high drama with the scratching of Eastender and the awful fall in the 8th race ... all jockeys ok apparently. Still waiting on news of Stellar Collision though. Hope it recovers alright.

James Jordan gets his 2nd winner at good odds in race 4 with 'Done By Me' Playing with house money now, thanks JJ!

Well there's 1 of JJ's tips saluting - Messershmitt wins at good odds. He can pick 'em out ... had only performed at BM58 level prior to today.

I have close to no interest in ODI's ... Tests - 90% interest and ODI World Cups 10%. One day cricket bores me senseless ... I like to see a real battle between bat and ball so even Test cricket can sometimes come up short. More so in Australia where we produce 'roads' And Avilius had an ulcerated off-side eye so it probably shouldn't have run at all ... we wouldn't ask a human athlete to perform with an ulcerated eye. I'm big on horse racing but I'm even bigger on horse welfare. And that bears no relationship to the gambling aspect ... I never offer excuses, never blame jockeys, never complain. It's my risk, pure and simple.

I'm on Lamborghini as well Wadda - small wager though and an exacta in the race as well (of course!) Did the form on the meeting last night and my top 3 or 4 mostly matched JJ's .... however, the horses that I marked as the standouts differed every time to JJ. So I've gone with James Jordan's tips on the win bets! He knows a hell of a lot more than I do. Value around today so even if he only gets 2 winners I'll be in front. n.b. None of the horses in the cup have any decent 3200m form but a few of the tipsters reckon that Lamborghini will get the trip.

Adelaide Cup day today with Bruce McAvaney hosting on the racing channel ... with hopefully JJ as his side-kick. An early sensation with 'Eastender' taken out of the cup by the stewards for being administered a race-day treatment. Stewards working in plain clothes apparently. Racenet Form Guide - Morphettville

For those who want to see attractive open football without too much congestion, the Carlton argument is not really a factor. Many watch footy just because it is footy. They don't care about the aesthetics and probably never have. Crowds & memberships aren't a problem but the sport needs to be watched by neutrals through the broadcast platforms. It's my belief that footy isn't losing any of it's core supporters or the rusted on types ... they are losing those who could 'take it or leave it' or those who just prefer to want to watch their own team play. We don't talk enough about the great neutral games anymore rjay and that stopped a few years ago ... most of the chatter is about the officiating, fantasy sports, tribalism, gambling and other factors. Monday mornings for me used to be filled with conversations about how great the weekend's games were. For a minority (maybe 15% - 20%) the game has to be spectacular to watch and for potential new viewers, the same. Footy now has a lot of competition for TV viewers and I'd prefer it if the sport was bullet-proof. There was a good reason that the then VFL built an over-sized ground out at Waverley. Over time, the ground became a perfect sized ground for 36 players. Back then, the VFL showed great vision. The Diamond/Square were great innovations as well (Waverley & the Diamond/Square happened at around about the same time) Now, there are just too many players on the ground and the grounds have effectively become even smaller with the professionalism of the sport. 15 or 16 a side with the rotations capped to 15 - 20 per team is my solution. Not a new opinion either. I watched our game on Saturday at Casey and the first thing that jumped out at me was that the ground is just way too small for 36 players.

Here are the 3 specials brought to you by MB Inc. Italian Serie A Monday at 01:00 FC Inter v Spal FC Inter Win & Over 2.5 match goals $2.10 France Ligue 1 Monday 7.00am $2.50 Marseille Win & +2.5 Goals Match Score vs Nice Italy Serie A Tuesday 6.30am $2.05 Roma Win +2.5 vs Empoli Adds up to a more than tidy dividend of $13 (boosted) Good luck all!

Weekend Special France Ligue 1 Monday 7.00am $2.50 Marseille Win & +2.5 Goals Match Score vs Nice

Best Bet Strike Rate 99: 40 - 14 - 12 Australian Group & Listed Races And here are the replays of the feature races from yesterday ...

Anyway, tomorrow sees the big race meeting at Canberra (Black Opal Stakes day) whilst the Echuca Cup & Stony Creek Cups are being run as well - decent fields too. Racenet Form Guide

Yeah I had my PL moment in the Newmarket ... my top 6 finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th. But going into the race I had another 7 or 8 marked as dangers to my picks. Just goes to show hey - class prevails. Got a good collect on the exacta but the trifecta & F4 were all mine for the taking. And I really fancied Sunlight but again, I settled on the exacta so it was my choice. The F4 paid $8.9k and as you said, the trifecta $1500. All quality horses at the top too ? Mind you, since switching to exactas I consistently do ok and nearly always break even at worst. To get large collects I need to take out a few trifectas or F4's. Lesson learnt though mate. As for Osborne Bulls, the horse is monstrously fast at the finish. Still only a 5yo so we'll get our collects on the horse going forward. Sunlight & Osborne Bulls - ADATR specials. Fundamentalist really unlucky not to win but The Autumn Sun is an awesome horse. Hope they race it on for another season as it's a moral for the Cox Plate. Screaming out for 2000m. Footnote: Spanish Whisper & Spanish Reef were both tipped by Gator. I might post up a link to his tips (Wed evening) if I remember to do so. JJ's tips the same (Sat morning)

I'd have to post up about 10-15 hunches then Wadda! ha ha There are a lot of hunches & tips thrown my way towards the end of most weeks. Another mate text me with his 3 tips to multi up for the win ... Eduardo, Avilius & Peirata - none of them even ran a place! I haven't heard back from the quaddie mate either so he's possibly celebrating hard on the turps or kicking himself for maybe changing his mind (and therefore on the turps drowning his sorrows) I'm thinking the latter! I had a decent day today but it would have been a bumper day if some of JJ's tips had have won ... he had a very lean day although I did get a few ok exactas with his tips. And Harlem wins the Australian Cup? Now that's a turn up for the books! Hayes again ... they know when to load up, that clan. It's a pity we're mostly in the dark hey?

I had it straight out and also got the exacta Wadda. Got a mate who told me yesterday that he was going to take the Field, Spanish Whisper, Field, Spanish Reef - paid $62k. Hope he didn't change his mind ?

We may well have found his position. He's too good of a talent for the FD not to have a position for him. And he has the pace and goal kicking nous to play a couple of different roles in the forward line. If you were an opposition defender he'd be a concern.

And now Trapeze Artist breaks the track record up at Randwick. So many top rate sprinter/milers here in Oz - we really are blessed with talent. Footy starts soon so I'm switching to the trusty wireless for the rest of the program - go Demons!

What a horse this 'Sunlight' is ... a special horse. Helped me get the exacta but we've got a real WFA sprinter on our hands here. Her fighting qualities and turn of foot are exceptional. A champion already. It's nice to follow a horse from the beginning ... go Sunlight! ? Take her to Royal Ascot Tony McEvoy!

I did the double with the first 2 picks Wadda just so that I'm not tempted to cash-out on the extremely well paying treble! Paying close enough to 20-1 for 'Ace High' into 'All Too Soon' so it's worth the price of a coffee or 3 ? Anyway, the big one on in 5 minutes ... best field for the Newmarket that I can remember. Possibly the best field assembled for any race in the last 12 - 24 months.

'Yes Yes Yes' wins impressively and is now a real Slipper chance ... 4 starts for wins at Flemington, Moonee Valley and now Randwick. Looks a big chance for the 2yo classic along with 2 or 3 others.

They just ran a track record for 1100m up at Randwick and very nearly ran a track record for 1200m in the first. So, I reckon we might see another track record or 2 there given the quality of horse running up there today.

We've already got Ace High for a place in the Australian Cup ... we probably need to keep each race as a separate pick otherwise the whole idea gets confusing. I understand that one is for a win (Avilius) and the other the place (Ace High) but I steered clear of Avilius because Wadda had already used that race. Scroll back 1 post before your post and it's all there to see BM.

I go back a fair way and there's probably at least 25 forgettable years that I've seen ... we're a hearty bunch. Tigers for punishment but we're still here and we aren't going anywhere either. The ruthless bit in me wants to add another 10 good players to the list ... finals success is almost certainly guaranteed if you've got 25+ good players (top players) but there have been occasions when clubs have had lists that have been that strong. Even in the recent past so it is do-able. Didn't see it but our team in the 50's & early 60's had an excess of good players from what I've read and from what I've been told. I'm not sure Smith was ever fully satisfied. The past can often teach us what works.

In the end the whole thing ended in a way not many could see ... we hadn't had a 'shocker' for quite some time but these things often happen when you least expect it. But I have always felt that you learn more from a loss than a victory and lets face it, we weren't the finished product last year and we probably aren't going to be the absolute finished product this year ... however, we may not need to be as a team these days doesn't have to be a super-team to win big. We've got 15+ bona-fide good players on the list so that gives me the confidence to know that if we're switched on and have a reasonable run with injuries, we can have a very good year. Last year was another terrific stepping stone and the overall year was infinitely better than any number of previous seasons. That comment doesn't mean that I was at all fully satisfied but it was by no means a failed season. Far from it. I love Goodwin's attitude though and if I was a player I would use that last loss as huge motivation. And I reckon we'll see what the team is all about early in the season. I'm tipping we'll hit the ground running.

Good betting race is the Fireball Stakes DZ (Race 2 Randwick) Santos' 3 trials have been against some very good company and it should end up racing on the speed tomorrow ... I've included it in an exacta (on top with a couple of others) Some terrific racing coming up at both Randwick & Flemington though - looking forward to the day.