The Weekly A-Z

Posted on March 5, 2021March 5, 2021 | Posted by Digby Beacham

A – ACROSS THE DITCH

Our Trans-Tasman neighbours will be glued to television screens tomorrow to witness unbeaten colt Aegon chase a second Group 1 victory in the Randwick Guineas (1600m). The son of Sacred Falls, a known mudlark, has yet to race on a surface better than slow, yet could be presented with a good 4 track in the $1 million feature. Already a winner of the Group 1 NZ Guineas back home, Aegon will be looking to display the electric turn of foot that helped net him the Group 2 Hobartville Stakes last month.

B – BUNBURY BONANZA

It’s downright impossible not to get excited about the 10-race card at Bunbury tomorrow if you are a racing enthusiast. In an ideal world, the Misty Valley Thoroughbreds Greenfields Lodge Breeders’ Classic would have been run last month. However, because of circumstances outside the club’s control, it finds itself as one of three Listed features on the day — alongside the Furphy Bunbury Cup and Amelia Park Bunbury Stakes — as part of a standalone Saturday meeting with a crowd of 7000 expected.

C – COAST TO COAST

Remember when the Central Coast Mariners were a basket case? Of course you do. It wasn’t that long ago that the Mariners were on the nose and fodder for the A-League’s big boys. The appointment though of former Matildas coach Alen Stajcic has been a driver in their revival and earlier this week they ventured west and downed the Perth Glory 2-1 at HBF Park to remain on top of the table. The Mariners’ story is one that is going to be closely monitored all season … and so it should be.

D – DESERVES BETTER

Whilst the Bunbury Turf Club is understandably excited about the prospects of a bumper card, one has to feel a little for the Bunbury Trotting Club. The $50,000 Group 2 Furphy Bunbury Cup (2569m) at Donaldson Park tonight is not the greatest edition we have seen in terms of field strength. That is because the Group 2 Pinjarra Cup was run on Monday afternoon. If the Bunbury product, both harness and thoroughbred is to work hand-in-hand as it should this time of year, a more user-friendly lead-up needs to be settled upon. Four days isn’t enough.

E – ESPN

Was the forum where Joe Montana, one of the greatest quarterbacks to have ever played in the NFL (some would say the greatest, aka the GOAT), ended the discussion once and for all. Tom Brady, in his opinion, was “definitely” the greatest of all time. Brady only recently claimed his seventh Super Bowl ring. “I think Tom has taken his place on the top up there a long time ago,” Montana said on First Take. “He’s had a tremendous career, he’s fun to watch … if you look at what Tom has been able to accomplish in his time that he has played, I think it puts him definitely up there at the top of the list.” Full stop!

F – FOX ON THE RUN

Lunar Fox. Yes, Lunar Fox. You are reading correctly. It was he, not any other horse in the $750,000 Australian Guineas, that prevailed last Saturday at Flemington. The son of Foxwedge ran 12th of 15 in the Group 3 CS Hayes Stakes (1400m) at triple figures a fortnight earlier, outlining why he was sent out at $301 in the Group 1 race. He clearly didn’t know he was given no chance of winning, storming over the top of his rivals to assure himself of a start in the $5 million All-Star mile next weekend.

G – GREEN WITH ENVY

We shouldn’t be surprised here in WA, but if Cameron Green isn’t going to be a long-term player for Australia in all three formats of the game, I’ll walk to China and back — when it is OK to travel internationally again, that is. The young gun was at his imperious best in the Sheffield Shield match against South Australia last week, crunching an unconquered 168 in the first innings and then plundered another ton in the one-day victory over the Redbacks. A talent of the rarest quality.

H – HAPPY HOMECOMING

Brooklyn Nets guard James Harden was only too happy to tell everyone he was excited about returning to Houston yesterday to take on the Rockets, the first time he had been up against his former side since requesting a trade. Most of the NBA fans residing in Houston didn’t share the same enthusiasm. And their bitterness towards Harden became more pronounced when he had 29 points, 10 boards and 14 assists to lead Brooklyn to a 132-114 victory.

I – IGNOBLE

Frenchman Benoit Paire has quite the reputation on the ATP Tour. He is known as a powder keg and was sadly at it again overnight, carrying on like a pork chop in the Argentina Open. Paire was infuriated by a line call and then proceeded to spit on the court and tank his last service game when losing in three sets to local Francisco Cerundolo. He flaunted his career earnings on social media after the match when it was speculated he could be facing a financial sanction. Maybe it’s time the ATP or ITF actually took player behaviour seriously rather than address their transgressions with a wet lettuce leaf.

J – JUST CALL THE GAME

Sad news this week regarding Bruce McAvaney stepping down from Channel 7’s AFL coverage. Arguably the best sports broadcaster this country has seen, McAvaney will leave a huge void. Channel 7 seem comfortable they have the existing talent to replace him. Let’s hope whoever they settle on as his successor doesn’t try to insert themselves into the coverage. The players and coaches are the stars of the show … not the commentators.

K – KNOCK ME DOWN WITH A FEATHER

If you’re not sitting down, it’s best you do so now. The following is something so remarkable, you will find yourself struggling to believe it … NOT! David Warner declared that he had rushed back into the Australian Test set-up prematurely after tearing his groin in an international clash with India in coloured clothing. No manure Sherlock. If the Australian selectors were doing their job and being properly advised by relevant medical staff, the decision on Warner’s recall should have been taken out of his hands. If he was a racehorse, he would have been four out of five lame. Ridiculous.

L – LUCKY BOY

Willie Rioli is that. There is the pro-Eagles, pro-Rioli camp that argues he shouldn’t have been forced to endure such an extensive weight to learn his fate. I get that. Let’s not forget the following, however. Rioli tested positive to cannabis and was also found guilty of tampering with his urine sample twice as part of three breaches of an anti-doping code. Three. Not one. Not two. Three. To receive a backdated two-year ban for those transgressions, he can count himself extremely fortunate.

M – MELO’S THE MAN

LaMelo Ball caused quite a stir at stages in his brief stint with the Illawarra Hawks last season. The much-spruiked American teen got better and better as he was exposed to life as a professional basketballer against fully-grown men. His display prompted the Charlotte Hornets to take him with the third selection in last year’s NBA draft and it is a pick which looks like a steal. Ball, 19, is now a starter with the Hornets despite his tenders years and is averaging 16 points, six rebounds and six assists per game to have a mortgage on rookie-of-the-year honours. He is special talent.

N – NOWHERE TO HIDE

With the Golden Slipper fast approaching, it is only natural that bookmakers, punters, leading Australian studs and the rank and file will be watching tomorrow’s traditional lead-ups at Randwick — the Group 2 Todman Stakes (1200m) for the boys and the Group 2 Reisling Stakes (1200m) for the fairer sex — intently. The battle between boom colts Profiteer and Stay Inside, who are very firm in the Slipper market, is mouthwatering. With Profiteer drawing barrier one as opposed to Stay Inside coming up with gate eight, it is advantage to the Capitalist colt, trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr.

O – OVER

That is how Adam Treloar views his relationship with former Collingwood coach Nathan Buckley. The prolific midfielder was jettisoned to the Western Bulldogs at the end of last season, much to his chagrin. Buckley said he had attempted to touch base with Treloar on more than one occasion, yet has been unable to make contact. Treloar’s distaste for the way he was handled guarantees the first-round match between the two clubs will be nice and spicy.

P – PAUSE

Organisers of the Pakistan Super League opted to take that option yesterday when they suspended the tournament with immediate effect after a spate of positive COVID-19 tests. Unfortunately the competition hadn’t even made it to the halfway stage. Perth Scorchers leg-spinner Fawad Ahmed was the first of seven players to test positive, with young Englishman Tom Banton, well known to BBL followers, also returning a positive.

Q – QUEEN’S QUEST

Celebrity Queen’s task to back up her Oakleigh Plate triumph with another elite level victory in tomorrow’s Group 1 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington was always going to be tough. The Oakleigh is the softer of the three day-time Melbourne Group 1 sprints in the autumn and though this isn’t a vintage Newmarket, the presence of boom filly September Run makes for stiff opposition. You could almost feel WA punters wince when it was revealed yesterday that Celebrity Queen would be wearing bar plates as a result of pulling a shoe during the week.

R – READY TO RUMBLE

While on the topic of cerise and white gallopers, William Pike couldn’t have been any more bullish over the prospects of Arcadia Queen in the $5 million All Star Mile when speaking on The Sports Daily. Pike is an unabashed fan of the strapping mare and his confidence seems well placed when you have a peek sneak at her crushing opposition in a 1000m jump-out at Bendigo yesterday. She didn’t beat a lot, but Arcadia Queen stopped the clock at 59.22sec., to indicate Grant and Alana Williams have her exactly where she needs to be.

S – SUNDAY FUN DAY

The focus of WA racing will not just be on the mammoth card at Bunbury tomorrow. The Listed $100,000 Supremacy Stakes (1000m) at Ascot on Sunday will provide a clearer picture as to who we should be looking at in the Group 2 $500,000 Karrakatta Plate (1200m). The Supremacy is always a good guide because it provides the punters with the last look at the main fancies pitted against each other before they venture to the Perth Stakes (colts and geldings) and Gimcrack Stakes (fillies) a fortnight later.

T – THIRTEEN DAYS

That is how long we have to wait until the season opener between Carlton and Richmond at the MCG. It seems it was light years ago that Richmond beat Geelong in the historic Gabba grand final, yet the next chapter in the AFL has come around oh so quickly. The Blues were beaten by St Kilda last night and have some genuine injury issues that will no doubt be causing some angst internally. Richmond remain the testing material and taking them down is hard enough when you access to your best line-up, let alone one that is compromised.

U – UP, UP AND AWAY

Akila Dananjaya was on cloud nine on his return to international cricket this week, dismissing Evin Lewis, Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran with successive balls in his second over of the T20 clash with the West Indies. The Sri Lankan’s hat-trick smile quickly turned into a frown courtesy of Kieron Pollard. Dananjaya’s third over went for 36. Yes, that’s correct. His six deliveries were all dispatched over the rope by Pollard, who joined Herschelle Gibbs and Yuvraj Singh as the only player to achieve the feat at international level.

V – VERRY GOOD INDEED

Chris Waller’s wonderful mare Verry Elleegant put the writing on the wall when she savaged the line first-up in the Group 2 Apollo Stakes over the unsuitable 1400m. As such, many good judges had her on top in last weekend’s Group 1 Chipping Norton Stakes (1600m) when she met many of the same rivals. Though it was a bunched finish, the five-year-old put her head out when it mattered most to secure a seventh victory at the elite level and lay claim to the title as the best horse in the country.

W – WESTERN DERBY II

Talk about chalk and cheese. Last Saturday’s clash between West Coast and Fremantle at Mineral Resources Park took place behind closed doors. Tomorrow’s official AFL pre-season encounter at Optus Stadium is expected to attract a crowd of 35,000 — the current capacity in the COVID-19 era. The Eagles were given the short back and sides by Fremantle in their first meeting of 2021 and it will be interesting to see how they respond in what is effectively a dress rehearsal for round one.

X – X MARKS THE SPOT

The AFL has all but told players to stand on an X on the ground when manning the mark for 2021. We saw the rule in the cut and thrust of a sanctioned league pre-season encounter between Carlton and St Kilda and it didn’t have the dramatic impact many were fearing. Shaun McKernan’s decision to push back off the mark after being told to “stand” led to a 50m penalty early in the piece, but it must be said the players were complicit for the most part.

Y – YEO WOE

If we could all operate with the benefit of hindsight, life would be considerably easier. There is no disputing that. So, operating with the aforementioned hindsight, we can say that West Coast missed a trick last year by not sending dual best and fairest Elliot Yeo for surgery to address his osteitis pubis when they called an end to his season prematurely. Yeo is yet to rejoin the main group at training, casting doubt on him playing a major role until May at the earliest.

Z – ZAC, ZAC, ZAC

Why, why, why? That question will no doubt have been on the lips of thousands of Carlton supporters last night when high-priced recruit Zac Williams collected St Kilda’s Hunter Clark high with a bump in the pre-season clash at Marvel Stadium. Clark picked himself up, but Williams left the ground and made high contact, even though we will see harder collisions this season. With the season opener involving the Blues and Richmond less than a month away and David Teague needing all of his fit personnel available, it wasn’t the smartest thing to do.