Macca

The great bit is that we're not flying solo with this multi idea ... the team aspect makes it slightly less nerve-racking. But nevertheless, it's still nerve-racking! I completely forgot that I had a small trifecta going in Gailo Chop race - small dividend but a win is a win.

Good start to the day with Gailo Chop (well done @Wadda We Sing)... as per usual I completely ignored the first few races at Caul & the Farm. Too hard.

I had a strong feeling you'd go with Itz Invincible binman ... I figured that you'd either run out of races in Melb or Syd to find a standout or you'd do a quick peruse of the races at Morphettville anyway. So last night I had a look at the races at Morphettville and I could only find 1 absolute standout - Itz Invincible. lol. So Gents, here are the 4 standout best bets ... Caulfield Race 4 No 1 Gailo Chop (Wadda) Morphettville Race 5 No 1 Itz Invincible (binman) Warwick Farm Race 7 No 2 Eqyptian Symbol (Macca) Warwick Farm Race 8 No 4 Show A Star (Demon 77) Good luck with those 4 fellas and good punting to all!

Wow ... that's a lot of work binman. So out of the 4 best bets that you've highlighted, have you got 1 of them as your absolute standout? It can't be a horse in a race which has been picked already. These are the best bets so far Caulfield Race 4 No 1 Gailo Chop (Wadda) Warwick Farm Race 7 No 2 Eqyptian Symbol (Macca) Warwick Farm Race 8 No 4 Show A Star (Demon 77)

Yep ... that comes under the area of a decent system. It has to be a given - even for someone like Rodgers. The other big news is McDaniels turning down the Colts job and deciding to stay at New England. More fuel on the fire that the Belichick/Kraft/Brady alliance may not be rock-solid.

Look at all the QB's that have blossomed away from Fisher ... Bradshaw, Keenum & Foles. And Kelly seemed a bit rigid too - too hyper for me. That stuff wears thin after a while. And Fisher was useless (ask Gorg) The bloke in charge can make or break a player ... I could point at a thousand examples but you'll already know about those instances. In sport, I don't believe you can fake great. In the right system and playing under the right sort of coach other players like Foles can prosper. Foles strikes me as someone who has learned how to handle pressure. If Foles does go elsewhere he'll need to choose wisely - he'll need a good system and a good coach. Most QB's need that though.

I like the 1400m races Wadda because of the previous times made by the various horses and the comparisons that I can therefore make. I also look for horses that have previously finished off their 1200m races well too - as well as those that race well but falter a bit towards the end of their 1600m races. And then there's the weights carried. The Classic mile is probably my favourite though ... but the form always makes a lot more sense if the race in question is WFA or at set weights. The classic distance (2000m) appeals for all sorts of reasons though. Group 1 at WFA is the pinnacle at that distance. Ditto for the mile and a half. The sprint races and the form attached to those races is often easier to identify (1000m, 1100m & 1200m) but I prefer the smaller fields in those races (unless the sprint racing is held on the straight at Flemington)

How about finding out that Foles called that trick play? Remarkable. That'll add some extra dollars. Bottom line is that NFL fans want to see the bloke play - next year. Sitting on the sidelines would be such an anti-climax. It's such a difficult situation ... if I was an Eagles fan I would not want him going anywhere. Anyway, here's a song performed by a couple of Philadelphia locals that is quite fitting - all these years later

Apart from our 3 best bets so far (Gailo Chop, Egyptian Symbol & Show A Star) we've also made mention of 3 other horses that we fancy to feature ... Caulfield Race 5 No. 6 Smart Coupe $8 (Wadda) Caulfield Race 6 No. 1 Rich Charm $8 (Demon77) Warwick Farm Race 6 No.2 Goodfella $9 (Macca) That's not a bad 'Spec' multi ... 575-1 All 3 have decent form and are realistic chances. Anyway, here's another look at last year's C F Orr Stakes ...

Saved for the Futurity Stakes in 2 weeks time? Also over the 1400m ... which seems to be the ideal distance for the horse. The race (The C F Orr Stakes) is a good betting race all the same ... a number of the fancied horses have drawn out wide which makes the race even more competitive. I've at least narrowed it down to 6 horses now but finding 2 or 3 clear-cut winning chances (for a multiple trifecta) out of those 6 is proving difficult. I can see a couple of decent dividends coming up though (Tri & First 4)

'Show A Star' was the first horse I had picked out as my best bet D77! ... then superceded by 'Egyptian Symbol' but only just. I also had 'Nature Strip' picked out but was concerned about the hot favourite 'She Will Reign' ... in the end Nature Strip was scratched so my mind was made up.

Well yeah ... there's a fair bit of depth in the race and that may be the reason. Rich Charm's last run was as good as it gets in terms of the time run and the fact that it was in a Group 2 race (and it beat Missrock) And, it's got a very good strike rate ... it is up a few kilos from its previous 3 runs but before that won over 1200m carrying 59 & 60.5kgs. I was in the same quandary with Goodfella and at one stage was going to nominate Goodfella as my best bet - for the place only though. But I baulked at doing that as 1 scratching would have meant no 3rd dividend.

I should be able to remember to copy & paste it up Wadda ... that will come with routine. For instance, I start perusing the form online on a Wednesday night (using racenet.com mainly) and then will have something picked out by Friday at the latest. And as for others joining in ... I'm interested to see where the thread takes us - I've always encouraged an inclusive attitude rather than exclusive one. Punters can often prefer to fly solo but again, I've always favoured a joint input - mainly because I'm prone to missing stuff and I'm not smart enough to see everything anyway (plus, there's the available time aspect)

I was including the 4 pick multi Wadda much as I would a 5 pick multi if we get another joining in. Of course, it gets complicated then but my attitude is the more, the merrier and we should be able to sort it all out as individuals. The important thing is getting the best bets posted up ... we'll know a lot of thought has gone into the picks and also, much as what happened last week and this week already, we may well be able to see the same value in a best bet posted by someone else (on closer inspection) Take your Gailo Chop pick as an example ... I hadn't looked at that race yet as I had it marked as a trifecta race which I was going to look at on Friday night or Saturday morning. So I then looked at the race closely and then saw what you could see. Affirmation. And seeing we're on a new page ... Australian Group & Listed Races

And with @binman entering in with a best bet that will give us for 4 best bets ... I anticipated that happening so there's an option of four 3 pick multi's within the 4 pick multi. Much like the 3 doubles within the 3 pick multi. Again, it's totally optional as is the compulsion to take out a multi at all. The theory behind the concept is that if you look at enough of the different races properly, one horse will eventually jump out at you (figuratively speaking of course!) The combined input is a way of combining all our standout best bets. And because we're posting up a tip that others can benefit from, you'll probably work harder at finding that one best bet. You don't want to miss with a pick.

I mentioned here before that there are 3 potential 'Doubles' within the 3 pick multi ... It's kinda hedging the bet but if the 3 get up like it did last week you get the double 3 times as well. That's how I'm going to approach the system ... depending on how much you lay on, you can double or triple your total outlay with just a double getting up. And if all 3 get up you've had a good day.

Another tough race ... @Demon77 2 on top (Brave Song & Kementari) are both in with a real chance. And Gailo Chop is an excellent choice Wadda ... a real Group level performer (often at Group 1) As you intimated, against this lot it matches up very well. As for 'Smart Coupe' ... it's run some very good times carrying 55. And the bloke who trains the horse (Ellerton) is a favourite trainer of an acquaintance who follows a lot of his horses.

Great minds D77 (or something like that) Goodfella was taken out of the Expressway Stakes for the Eskimo Prince Stakes (Race 6 Warwick Farm) ... at 9-1 it's good each way odds (as long as there aren't any scratchings in the 8 horse field) Interesting that both Goodfella & Egyptian Symbol both raced last time at the Magic Millions (and raced well) so they'll be freshened up.

I might be tempted to look at the horses that are racing well now Wadda ... Tshahisti, Thronum & Dollar for Dollar. It's a tough race to find a winner though and I've got about 7 or 8 horses that I reckon can be in the finish. I've got to find a way to reduce that number down to 5 or 6 and then get the right configuration for a trifecta. The Weir Horse (Brave Smash) could be right in this as well as the top 3 (Hartnell, Black Heart Bart & Tosen Stardom) C F Orr Stakes

My 'Best Bet' ... Warwick Farm Race 7 No.2 Egyptian Symbol to win (current fixed odds 3.40) It's last start was the 973k Magic Millions Sprint over 1200m where it ran 3rd to the very class 'Viddora' (1:08.69) Before that won well at Rosehill on a Heavy 8. Meets this lot with SW + P's in a small field. The jockey's record on the horse is good as well.

Well they race on turf up there Wadda ... you might be thinking of Singapore maybe? Looks like grass to me anyway The 1400m races at Sha Tin are just pure sprint races from what I can see ... I don't see horses getting to the front and putting on the brakes but if that does ever happen the other horses just scoot on by. The 1600m races are much the same although not always - times in the 1:33's or 1:34's are regular occurrences in the mile races (often carrying WFA type weight) Anyway, In that trifecta race (Race replay - Race 7 Sha Tin 04/02/18) the odds on favourite won and I had the 3rd horse to win as well ... but it was the 2nd horse at big odds that boosted up the dividend. Started at 35-1 but it had decent form and it's previous times were very good. The commentator made mention of the 'slow pace up front' but they still ran 1:22.27! And you're our 'Caulfield Correspondent' Wadda so we're expecting a decent 'Best Bet' from you with regards to Saturday's races! There's got to be something that stands out. I'll put my tip up directly.

Not necessarily ... but if I was the GM of the Eagles I might expect some action sooner rather than later. Prepare for worst case scenario but work for an ideal solution.

I am looking at this from Foles' point of view and lets face it, in a lot of ways he gets to call the shots. He won't necessarily give a stuff what the Eagles get in return for a trade and he will probably want to maximise his dollar amount in the millions right now. With these things it is often about the money ... loyalties can please themselves. He probably won't want to take the risk of his market value plummeting.

Some good information on 'Ace High' there Wadda ... Winx looks like it will start its Autumn campaign with the Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) on March 3. Meanwhile, the final field for the C F Orr Stakes is up and it's a top-rate field assembled. I can see at least 4 or 5 genuine chances so it will be some form of multiple trifecta for me. For quaddie punters it's the 3rd leg I believe. The whole meeting is a good one though with a Group 1, three Group 2's & four Group 3's. But I'll be looking at Warwick Farm for my best bet ... I've already picked out 3 or 4 genuine hopes and will finalise my pick tomorrow night or sometime on Friday. As you and @Demon77 will know by now, I prefer the Tri's in the Group races. Here's a bit of info I've picked up about the often run 1400m races at Sha Tin ... they are nearly all truly run races and if a horse hasn't run in the 1:21's (or the low 1:22's) previously whilst carrying 55 - 59 kgs, one can often rule those horses out from winning or even running a place. Nearly all the winners in these 1400m affairs are won with fast times. I picked up another Tri there last Sunday (in one of the later races) using the above information.

As previously discussed ... the great thing about the NFL is the parity and how a team can rise quickly. But the window that opens up needs to be taken advantage of ... in the recent past we've seen some make only 1 Super Bowl and win (Packers, Ravens, Saints) whilst some others have made 1 Super Bowl and haven't won (49ers, Falcons, Panthers, Arizona, Bears) And then we have the Patriots or those that get to 2 or 3 Super Bowls in their window (Steelers 2-1 Giants 2-0 Seattle 1-2, Denver 1-1 Colts 1-1) Nothing can ever be taken for granted and the time to win multiple SB's for the Eagles is right now. I could say the same thing about the Packers with a healthy Rodgers. There's probably about 8-10 NFL clubs in the window - but only 1 team can ever win the whole thing in any given year.