Macca

Nice pick @Dee Zephyr The 1st leg accomplished with Mount Kilcoy ... did it easy. Edit: Hiflyer just misses a place ... looked gone then fought back but no cigar.

They are down to 7 runners in the Monash Stakes so Voodoo Lad is now 4.20/1.90 with no 3rd dividend ... I've put it in a small F4 whilst hoping for the right configuration. The horse is better suited in this race and especially at Caulfield.

I reckon you have to look at the good horses for the place though ... Voodoo Lad at $1.60 seems good value as well - acting as an odds 'booster' in a multi ... 'Gator' from the Get-On crew has got the horse winning. France at $1.45 to lift the trophy? The Demons line seems a tad high at 41.5 though ... we will win but maybe 1-39? ... paying $2.45.

The Redkirk race is tomorrow night Wadda but they are racing at Newmarket tonight as well - on the free-to-air racing channel right now. The racing is so different over there but fascinating nonetheless.

I'm watching the races from Newmarket fellas and the straight is configured the same way as Flemington ... and tonight they are racing down the stand side - a speciality for the mighty Redkirk. At Ascot they run in a straight line as well but the horses run or lead with their other leg - David Hayes calls it the Sydney way which doesn't necessarily suit Redkirk. Anyway, the place bet is a good option - I like it a lot. Through these winter months it's hard to find a winner so why not have 3 chances at the place at good odds ... and again, a multi doesn't need a large outlay to win a decent amount.

Chautauqua – He jumped! The horse now needs to complete a barrier trial at Rosehill and then will be set for a comeback race on August 4th (Missile Stakes) ... and then 'The Everest' where a slot is apparently assured - confirmed by the owner, Rupert Lee. Great news! The jockey (Tommy Berry) reckons it was the best he's ever jumped - and the speed was still there.

You should have thought of that at the start JD ha ha ... perhaps we could have added some bonus points for correct scorelines but again, it's too late now. Keeping the last round alive for as many participants as possible would be preferable. Anyway, we could do the Champions league as a follow up if there's enough interest ... same format - round of 16 onwards etc etc. And the 3rd place playoff is on the nose for most but I really like the concept and always have ... coming 3rd at the World cup is not to be understated in my book. I'd say most of us suburban hacks would trade our sporting exploits for a bronze medal at the World cup. Just think of the money you'd make for being that talented to feature for a nation making it that far. I hope both Belgium & England go all out to win.

Leaderboard in the Comp 17 - @Dee Zephyr 15 - @Macca 14 - @John Demonic 5 points awarded for picking the correct winner of the final ... so to kick things off I'll pick the outsider to win. What a story that would be if Croatia were to win - heart rules the head. France vs Croatia

Best Bet is a place bet this week ... but the horse in question has some outstanding NZ form and can win. Rosehill Race 7 No.1 Hiflyer $3.50 (Win $15.00) As stated, the horse has some terrific Group-level form back in NZ and is the highest rated horse in the race ... drawn the inside gate as well. The horse has been running very good times as well - I spotted it last night but Paul Joice from the Sky team also has it as his best bet of the day. Place only though as it's a fairly hot field in the Winter Stakes.

There's a few interesting betting races on Saturday that might be worth a wager ... even the small field in the feature sprint event at Caulfield is tricky. A 2 mile staying race at the Sunshine Coast has got some familiar runners - same deal for the Winter Stakes at Rosehill. The Redkirk Warrior race should see a reduced field from the current 19 acceptors and David Hayes is quietly confident that the horse can finish in the first 3. Here's the short interview from Racing Pulse Saturday's feature events ... Caulfield - Sir John Monash Stakes 1100m Sunshine Coast - Queens Cup 3200m Rosehill - Winter Stakes 1400m Newmarket (UK) - July Cup 1200m

I saw the 2 goals as both being opportunist goals ... the high boot in the first goal is hard to defend and with the 2nd goal the striker just swoops on a hit and hope header that bobbled forward. Goals are sometimes created by unusual happenings. On both occasions both crosses weren't pressured so maybe that's where the goals originated from ... I only listened to the game but the radio commentary painted a different picture to what I saw on replay with regards to both goals. It's fair to say that neither Stones nor Maguire are fleet-of-foot players but we knew that going into the game.

The connections might want to start looking for a few easier races DZ! It seems the horse keeps running into one gun horse after another ? It will need a heart as big as Phar Lap's to cope! Midweek meeting unearths ‘spring horse with a serious motor’

El-Mag ran a good race but Gold Mag was way too good ... I think they ran in the 1:12's so the race didn't seem to be necessarily set up for the swoopers. But the winner had other ideas - one for the black book. The Hayes/Williams team again. What was the verdict after the race @Dee Zephyr ?

So true JD ... we are competitive beasts at heart aren't we? However, I do think that France will prevail even though I would prefer Belgium to win - so head rules the heart there. But ... I want Croatia to win even though I reckon England will probably win ... so heart wins over the head there. My ideal final would be Belgium vs Croatia but I doubt we'll see it.

The race itself has gained a fair bit of interest ... and we may get a glimpse of a few future stars. Certainly racenet.com have the race featured - Experience the key for Outback Warrior at Sandown ... anyway, good luck with the bookies DZ! In other news the grey flash is back in the news. Fingers crossed that the horse gets back on track out of the barriers ... Friday jumpout for Chautauqua And here's the field for the Darley July Cup to be run on Saturday (featuring Redkirk Warrior) ... I reckon I've just about figured out their rating system over there - and a very good system it is too. They've still got Redkirk Warrior (10-1) rated on top and I've a feeling the horse will run well at Newmarket. Main dangers being 'Blue Point (3-1), Brando (14-1), Sands of Mail (8-1) & Invincible Army (25-1)

'Outback Warrior' looks like one the main threats to El-Mag but there are a lot of lightly raced 3yo's in the race so you're right DZ, the race is a lottery. I'll do a 2-4-6 trifecta though ... the dividend is highly likely to be quite healthy so it's worth a small wager. There's a few decent races at Grafton midweek as well - The Ramornie Hcp Sprint ($160k) on Wednesday and the Grafton Cup ($160k) on Thursday ... some quite familiar horses running around in both races.

A few short articles from racenet.com that are worth a read ... Nature Strip wins but Everest question lingers Royal Ascot winner (Benbatl) accepts Cox Plate invite Sunlight delighting Tony McEvoy and may return to racing early (July 28)

Leaderboard in the comp 14 @Dee Zephyr 11 @John Demonic 9 @Macca 3 points for each winner of the semi-finals whilst the final carries 5 points for the correct winner. My tips for the semi-finals - winners in dark italics ... France vs Belgium Croatia vs England

The Tour de France started last night and for the first week all the stages are flat and mostly suitable for the sprinters ... but the 2nd week sees the riders venture into the Alps whilst in the 3rd week we're in the Pyrenees. In fact, from stage 10 (Tuesday July 17), 8 of the 10 stages involves 19 Category 1 climbs & 6 Category 2 climbs .. it's relentless. I'll post up some stage profiles when we get closer to the mountain stages. There is only 1 individual time-trial and that isn't flat either - and that time-trial isn't being held until the penultimate stage (Stage 20) The team time-trial will be held tomorrow night (Stage 3) Official Site CyclingNews.com Tour Tracker And here's a profile of stage 12 ... Robbie McEwan has put this stage in amongst his top 5 for relevant importance ...

A few replays of the Group 1's raced overnight - The Coral-Eclipse Stakes, The Belmont Derby & The Belmont Oaks ...

We looked much quicker tonight but the opposition weren't much chop. Still, you can only beat what is in front of you. We need a fit and firing Hunt to come into the team ... Frost made a difference too, forget the stats, he breaks the lines and that sort of stuff is invaluable. Gets a defensive fist to the ball a lot too which may go unnoticed. Fritsch is a potential game-breaker and match-winner. A star of the future. Harmes is at his best when he attacks the ball and takes the game on - again, he might make a few errors but the upside is the payoff. Stretch the same. All in all, it was a welcome return to form and our good players stepped it up.

Craig Williams rides 6 winners - what an amazing feat. Anyone know what the record books tell us about such a performance? Should win the jockey premiership now you'd reckon.

Ha ha! ... it's whatever works hey DZ My favourite way of landing a trifecta is when I identify a long shot that should ordinarily get into the finish if the odds on the horse are ignored. And when those long shots win the actual race, even better (as long as I land the trifecta of course) 'Cliffs Of Moher' is one such horse in the (UK) Coral-Eclipse Stakes 2000m Group 1 $1.3Million that is run later tonight. It is giving away a bit of weight to the 3Y0's but it's a decent racehorse.

The prime time games need to be the best match-ups so as to maximise the potential audience ... some flexibility might be required but the bias towards the better supported teams is probably always going to exist in some form. And if those better supported teams don't perform well then people will switch off ... or, not switch on at all. The increase in rotations has effectively been a major rule change if you think about it ... I'm a progressive thinker and will more often than not embrace change as long as those changes are beneficial. Copious quantities of rotations doesn't necessarily add anything to the sport - and that opinion is shared by many that I converse with (of any demographic) Against that, there are just as many who either don't particularly care or don't have an issue with the number of rotations. So those people aren't the problem. It's those who are switching off that is the problem. I must say that I was shocked at the percentage drop with the ratings though - 14%. If you imagine yourself as the AFL CEO you'd be somewhat alarmed at that number.

The good thing about our treble is that we can win big with a very small outlay ... the price of a cup of coffee was returning $650 if successful. It's tough trying to find a winner at this time of year but well done on your good start DZ ... I got the trifecta in the 2nd at Randwick but with only a moderate return - needed the 3rd placegetter at odds to win. Still, a win is a win.