Macca

Or we can leave BM there permanently playing that Adam Gilchrist role ? ... I'm leaning towards a box5 idea rather than splitting it up as we've been doing. Box5 was always my preferred way of betting going way back but I normally would only go that way in the big group races. Which is the way we've been picking out a race as well. Boxing the 5 in a trifecta costs a bit more but one can aim for 33% or 50% in a flex bet. Boxing the 5 in a First4 is an option as well ($20 outlay returns 18% boosted) Just a thought Wadda as we don't have to be locked into a fixed way of betting. I'm only suggesting going that way as I've decided to use the 5 picks that way myself.

No Australian Group 1's replays to post up although you can view a replay of the Belmont Sprint here ... BM gets the winner again with Material Man. We didn't include 'Great Shot' but the trifecta didn't pay a lot anyway. Pounamu flashed home as usual and will be better for the run. There's a couple more Group 3's (1600m & 2000m) coming up in the next month over in WA and the usual suspects will be running around again in those races ... worth following up on. Anyway, here are the replays of the Epsom Derby & the Epsom Oaks from last night & Friday night ... 'Masar' was way over the odds in the Derby too. The odds-on favourite 'Saxon Warrior' finished 4th. I tossed up between 'Young Rascal & 'Masar' as my each-way hope but came up tails! ?

You've got to feel for the bloke ... wasn't even a contact injury either. Docklands surface rears its ugly head again. The surface is too hard and/or is a shifting surface. Anyway, we'll get by and Lever's absence offers a great opportunity for Keilty, Smith, Hunt, Frost, Wagner, Petty, Pedersen or even Weideman. Most of those would need to be trained up for the role although a few could slot in as a make-do. We've actually got a surprising good number of medium tall or tall players who can play down back. Some can read the play well and position themselves well ... but, have disposal issues. With others, the reverse applies. But the team is playing too well for Lever's loss to be highly impactful. We'll still miss him of course and I wish him a speedy recovery.

Well at least the Demons didn't let us down Wadda ... and we've still got the Belmont Sprint (at Belmont, not Ascot) to deliver the goods.

Working again Wadda (on and off) But I'll be tuning in via radio and might have a chance to pop into a pub to watch the 2nd half. That's my usual weekend there although being an AFL member allows me to make a late dash to any given game. Down to 3 legs in our multi but that might be a good thing sometimes ... Seaway might have run under slight duress instead of being scratched so at least we got a definitive answer. I included 'William Thomas' with the other 3 anyway and got 50-1 (non boosted?) Go Demons!!!!

The NFL fan in me is really pleased that Foles decided to reject the Cleveland offer and take his chances at the Eagles. It wouldn't have been seen right by our standards here that a Superbowl MVP winning QB moves on straight after. The Eagles will be mighty pleased too ... 2 x top rate QB's playing tag-team. Luxury. How about them apples @Dappa Dan

Forgot to mention that the racing from Epsom Downs (which includes the Derby run at 1.30am) is being covered by the free-to-air racing channel from 10.30pm Saturday night. And here is the Epsom Downs track layout (n.b. the maximum distance seems to be a mile and a half which is the Derby distance) ...

Digressing overseas for a bit ... Saxon Warrior is shooting for the 2nd leg of the UK Triple Crown in the Epsom Derby 2400m $2.5Million (1.30am Sunday Morning) It's a bit too short for my liking even though Saxon Warrior should win ... 'Young Rascal' for the place with a small amount for the win might provide better value. Young Rascal has raced at the distance twice (and run well on both occasions) where as Saxon Warrior has only run at the mile. Saxon Warrior is trained by the horse whisperer though - Aiden O'Brien. Speaking of whom ... Here is a fascination hour long BBC Podcast on the master trainer himself

Looks a good bet Wadda ... I've done the same. When was the last time we were confidently picking the team to win by over 40 points?

Best Bet ... Rosehill Race 5 No.1 New Tipperary $4.20 The horse looks well placed in this race and is ready to win ... it should feature in the finish at least and is just about each-way odds. It maps well out of barrier 5 in a 10 horse field as well. Also, the Sky Racing team have it as their best bet.

Ascot Race 7 Belmont Sprint 1400m Group 3 150k Sat 6.15pm W/2/3 Battle Hero W/2/3 Falcon Crest W/2/3 Pounamu 2/3 ???????? 2/3 ???????? With @binman to finish things off. Take your time though BM, your usual way of studying up on a race ends up identifying 2 genuine chances quite regularly And they don't jump until 6.15pm.

Maybe by 10am? With BM to nominate his 2 it's looking like a Box5 Tri for me ... it could be decent dividend too as there are another 4 or 5 horses apart from our 3 that will attract the punter in the exotics. The extra 200m suits a few horses as well.

Ha! I play around with our picks in terms of maybe boxing the 5 in a trifecta and settling on a 33% - 50% payout and adding a horse of my own in a 2-4-6-6 First4 ($20 outlay delivers 30% - boosted) But it depends on what horses we nominate and the depth of the winning chances .... I reckon the 3 - 5 - 5 is a good base to work from especially with the input from the 4 of us.

It's settled then ... Ascot Race 7 Belmont Sprint 1400m Group 3 150k Sat 6.15pm W/2/3 ???????? W/2/3 ???????? W/2/3 Pounamu 2/3 ???????? 2/3 ???????? I've put in my tip so it's over to @Dee Zephyr to lead things off then @Wadda We Sing then @binman to finish things off with a couple of placegetters. Good luck Gentlemen!

In all seriousness the Belmont Sprint is the pick of the 3 races anyway ... it's a good betting race in terms of there being 3 or 4 genuine chances to win whilst another 3 or 4 could get into the placegetters or the First4. Plus, the race is on a couple of hours after the footy so it won't serve as a distraction and it could be a win/win/win for us (Demons win and we land the trifecta and the First4) No prizes for guessing which horse I'm going to nominate either ? Anyway, we'll wait for a bit to see what BM & Wadda want to lean towards.

@Dee Zephyr @Wadda We Sing @binman Picked out 3 possible trifecta races for Saturday ... take a look at your leisure fellas. 'Pounamu' is back after one trial and is up against a few decent types in the Belmont Sprint (Ascot WA) Drawn the outside alley too - which could easily suit considering how the horse likes to swoop late. I've marked the Belmont Sprint on top because the Sunshine Coast is currently rated as a Heavy10 and also, I'm biased towards the Pounamu Race! ? It's also worth noting that we've had success with the trifecta twice - once over the 1400m and the other over 1350m. Ascot Belmont Sprint 1400m Group 3 150k Sunshine Coast PJ O'Shea Stakes 2200m Group 2 200k Sunshine Coast Moreton Cup 1200m Group 2 175K

Many of the pundits are not necessarily pointing the finger at Karius but at the decision by Liverpool to have him as their 1st choice goalkeeper. If it was the AFL he'd possibly be cooked but there's any number of soccer teams where he'd find a home. And Karius has probably already made oodles of cash and is only 24 years old. It's a whole different world to the one we live in GV. Just over a couple of weeks to the World Cup ... sleeping patterns are sure to suffer but it will be worth it. Seeing we're on a new page I may as well copy & paste the schedule ... if we can scramble a draw out of our first game (Sat 16th June vs France 8pm) we'll give ourselves a chance to progress from the group. All times AEST. Friday, June 15: Russia v Saudi Arabia, Moscow (Luzhniki) (1am) Egypt v Uruguay, Yekaterinburg (10pm) Saturday, June 16: Morocco v Iran, Saint Petersburg (1am) Portugal v Spain, Sochi (4am) Australia v France Kazan (8pm) Argentina v Iceland, Moscow (Spartak) (11pm). Sunday, June 17: Peru v Denmark, Saransk (2am) Croatia v Nigeria, Kaliningrad (5am) Costa Rica v Serbia, Samara (10pm) Monday, June 18: Germany v Mexico, Moscow (Luzhniki) (1am) Brazil v Switzerland, Rostov-on-Don (4am) Sweden v South Korea, Nizhni Novgorod (10pm). Tuesday, June 19: Belgium v Panama, Sochi (1am) Tunisia v England, Volgograd (4am) Poland v Senegal, Moscow (Spartak) (10pm). Wednesday, June 20: Colombia v Japan, Saransk (1am) Russia v Egypt, Saint Petersburg (4am) Portugal v Morocco, Moscow (Luzhniki) (10pm) Thursday, June 21: Uruguay v Saudi Arabia, Rostov-on-Don (1am) Iran v Spain, Kazan (4am) France v Peru, Yekaterinburg (10pm) Friday, June 22: Australia v Denmark Samara (1am) Argentina v Croatia, Nizhni Novgorod (4am) Brazil v Costa Rica, Saint Petersburg (10pm). Saturday, June 23: Nigeria v Iceland, Volgograd (1am) Serbia v Switzerland, Kaliningrad (4am) Belgium v Tunisia, Moscow (Spartak) (10pm). Sunday, June 24: Germany v Sweden, Sochi (1am) South Korea v Mexico, Rostov-on-Don (4am) England v Panama, Nizhni Novgorod (10pm). Monday, June 25: Japan v Senegal, Yekaterinburg (1am) Poland v Colombia, Kazan (4am). Tuesday, June 26: Saudi Arabia v Egypt, Volgograd (midnight) Uruguay v Russia, Samara (midnight) Spain v Morocco, Kaliningrad (4am) Iran v Portugal, Saransk (4am). Wednesday, June 27: Denmark v France, Moscow (Luzhniki) (midnight) Australia v Peru Sochi (Midnight) Nigeria v Argentina, Saint Petersburg (4am) Iceland v Croatia, Rostov-on-Don (4am). Thursday, June 28: South Korea v Germany, Kazan (midnight) Mexico v Sweden, Yekaterinburg (midnight) Serbia v Brazil, Moscow (Spartak) (4am) Switzerland v Costa Rica, Nizhni Novgorod (4am). Friday, June 29: Japan v Poland, Volgograd (midnight) Senegal v Colombia, Samara (midnight) England v Belgium, Kaliningrad (4am) Panama v Tunisia, Saransk (4am). Sunday, July 1 Round of 16: Group C winners v Group D runners-up, Kazan (R1) (midnight) Group A winners v Group B runners-up, Sochi (R2) (4am). Monday, July 2 Round of 16: Group B winners v Group A runners-up, Moscow (Luzhniki) (R5) (midnight) Group D winners v Group C runners-up, Nizhni Novgorod (R6) (4am). Tuesday, July 3 Round of 16: Group E winners v Group F runners-up, Samara (R3) (midnight) Group G winners v Group H runners-up, Rostov-on-Don (R4) (4am). Wednesday, July 4 Round of 16: Group F winners v Group E runners-up, Saint Petersburg (R7) (midnight) Group H winners v Group G runners-up, Moscow (Spartak) (R8) (4am). Saturday, July 7 Quarter-finals: Winner of R1 v Winner of R2, Nizhni Novgorod (Q1) (midnight) Winner of R3 v Winner of R4, Kazan (Q2) (4am) Sunday, July 8 Quarter-finals: Winner of R7 v Winner of R8, Samara (Q3) (midnight) Winner of R5 v Winner of R6, Sochi (Q4) (4am) Semifinal 1: Saint Petersburg Stadium, 4am, Wednesday, July 11 Semifinal 2: Luzhiniki Stadium, 4am, Thursday, July 12 Third place playoff Sunday, July 15: Saint Petersburg (midnight) FINAL Monday, July 16: Moscow (Luzhniki) (1am)

We've transitioned into an above average team that is getting very close to knowing how to win on a consistent basis - against any team. And it's all related to talent levels with good coaching ... actually, without the talent, Goodwin would have no hope. X amount of good players generally equals X amount of wins ... we're building a very good list of players but to get to a stage where we're superior to all others (like Brisbane, Geelong & Hawthorn of the recent past) we've still got to add more talent. 2 finals this season at a minimum though ... that's how far we've progressed. But you never know, we might go all the way. There is no super team standing in our way.

Here are the replays of the Group 1's from the weekend (the links once clicked on take you to yourube) ... Kingsford-Smith Cup 1350m Queensland Oaks 2200m

Merchant Navy wins a G2 level sprint at the Curragh (first up) for Aiden O'Brien Very impressive - watch here Royal Ascot in mid June next up for the 3yo colt.

I reckon anything goes with a best bet Wadda ... whatever takes your fancy. For instance ... sometimes an each-way chance jumps out at you. You just know that each-way chance is going to get into the finish but it may not win. Ultimately we have the choice of sorting it all out as individuals to suit our betting strategy. I'm swinging over to 2-4-6-6 First4's in smaller fields in sprint races just because that suits my style. And so far, it's working. So, in essence, I play around with our trifecta picks and always have a back-up plan if the tips come in late. I like both the best bet and trifecta/first4 systems we have going. It's always good to get input from elsewhere.

Trifecta Strike Rate 2 from 7 < $48.90 > Best Bet Strike Rate 55: 26 - 13 - 2 Australian Group and Listed Races Just a heads up for next week whilst I'm here ... there are no G1 races next weekend but there are a few races that should be good betting races and thus, might suit our trifecta/first4 combinations. Specifically ... PJ O'Shea Stakes (former winners - Tulloch, Baghdad Note, Rough Habit) QTC Cup (formers winners - Schillaci, Hareeba) Belmont Stakes (recent WA performers 'Pounamu' and/or 'Art Series' may be running in this event)

Big moment for all Liverpool fans coming up - SBS are broadcasting the match from 4.00am. Could be a classic final as both teams like to go forward & score.

Interesting days racing ... have only watched the replays but the controversy with the track conditions at Doomben spoiled things a bit. The highlights being the classic finishes in the Kingsford-Smith & the Qld Oaks. Youngstar looks a horse of the future whilst Impending & Le Romain are 2 very classy racehorses. And the 'A Day at the Races' crew landed a trifecta at last (albeit not a big one) Moving on ... with the big overseas races I tend to go each-way on a horse in the Group 1's ... the pools for the exotics are way too small but each-way is an option for some value runners. However, I often tune in just to watch the best go around. Might have a go at a 2-4-6-6 First4 in the Sha Tin Vase though. Small field but some quite familiar horses are in the race. Also, I like Gustav Klimt each-way in 2000 Guineas, Soliloquy each-way in 1000 Guineas and Pakistan Star/Exultant in an exacta in the Chater Cup at Sha Tin. Tonight The Curragh - Irish 2000 Guineas 1600m $620k Group 1 1.10am Sunday Sha Tin - The Sha Tin Vase 1200m $500k Group 3 4.00pm Sha Tin - Standard Chartered Chater Cup 2400m $2Million Group 1 6.05pm Sunday Night/Monday Morning The Curragh - Irish Gold Cup 2100m $470k Group 1 11.25pm The Curragh - Irish 1000 Guineas 1600m $620k Group 1 1.10am

The Le Romain/Impending quinella was paying 9-2 ... and it was jumping out at us too. And the trifecta paid ok all things considered. a win is a win. The First4 the same ... 2-4-6-6 worked again. I reckon I have finally found a system that can work.