The Weekly A-Z

Posted on October 30, 2020 | Posted by Digby Beacham

A – ASIAN CUISINE

Cannot wait to sample what is on offer in the Hosemasters Asian Beau Stakes (1400m) at Ascot tomorrow. Given Taxagano’s stunning win in the Group 3 Northerly Stakes (1400m) a fortnight ago, it is hard to declare this a three-horse race. But it appears Inspirational Girl, Red Can Man and Cup Night have a mortgage on the race, with the winner earning a ticket into the $1 million Railway Stakes (1600m) next month. Mouthwatering indeed.

B – BONANZA

Some put a flag in the ground and say it is Golden Slipper day which is the greatest on the Australian racing calendar. Others will argue it is Caulfield Guineas day. I’m with Derby Day. Four Group 1s and a swag of other critically important races on the opening day of the four-day Melbourne Cup carnival reminds all of us how lucky we are to have the racing bug.

C – CITY OF ANGELS

It has been a good few weeks for the city of Los Angeles. Having grieved publicly following the tragic passing of Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gigi, along with others, LA residents have been fortunate to revel in the success of the Lakers and now the Dodgers winning their respective world titles. Perhaps a little divine intervention to the fore.

D – DYNASTY COMPLETE

What more can you say about Richmond? They needed to lock away last weekend’s grand final against Geelong to hoist the premiership cup for the third time in four years and rubber stamp their greatness. Mission accomplished. And we could well be speaking about them in glowing terms in 12 months’ time.

E – EERIE ESCALATION

Adam Treloar is one of the more effective ball winners in the AFL. Collingwood don’t care. They may do, but they’re certainly not showing it. Despite being contracted for multiple seasons, Treloar looks headed out the door over concerns (apparently) that he will not be able to cope with his partner Kim Ravaillion and young daughter Georgie living in Queensland next year. It has got to a very dangerous place for both parties in a short amount of time.

F – FREE TO A GOOD HOME

That is effectively what Fremantle said to suitors about Jesse Hogan. Sick of his antics, sick of his body language, sick of his woe-is-me attitude, the Dockers have been pro-active for some time now about cutting their losses and moving on the spearhead. It is hard to blame them.

G – GOLDEN EGG

Can the “Storm boys”, Superstorm and Windstorm, show some real pluck and overcome the expected heavy conditions at Rosehill tomorrow and run out of their skin in the $7.5 million feature for four-year-olds over 1500m? One can only hope so. Grant Williams has done a mighty job with them in Melbourne and they landed in NSW late this week for one hell of a hit-and-run mission.

H – HIGH NOON

On Tuesday. That is when this year’s Melbourne Cup, to be run before no fans at Flemington, will take place. The most spacious track in Australia will resemble a ghost town to guard against COVID-19, but the show must go on and this year’s edition will only add to the legend of the race that stops a nation.

I – IRRELEVANT

Whether WA young gun Cam Green plays for Australia in their upcoming ODI and T20 series against India. But the decision by the national selectors to add him to the squad yesterday was terrific. Having someone like Greg Chappell regard as the best young talent this country has produced since Ricky Ponting in the national set-up, will only fast-track his development.

J – JOLTED

The NRL had to perform an embarrassing backflip yesterday, reversing its decision not to play the national anthem at next week’s State of Origin opener at Adelaide Oval. League supremo Peter V’Landys admitted this morning that he was shocked at the backlash. It would have been more of a surprise had their not been an uproar.

K – KING’S RANSOM

King’s Legacy is already assured of a career at stud following his Group 1 victories in the Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) and Champagne Stakes (1600m) as a two-year-old. However, if he is able to bounce back from a poor display in the Group 1 Caulfield Guineas (1600m) earlier this month and win tomorrow’s Cantala Stakes (1600m) at the elite level against the older horses, you can add an extra zero or two to his price tag.

L – LONG GAME

Play it. There is the temptation to get heavily involved on Derby Day at Flemington tomorrow. While it is hard not to enjoy the offerings of an excellent card, it pays to remember there is countless opportunities to find a winner on Melbourne Cup Day, Oaks Day or next weekend if the Victorian scene is your focus.

M – MAN OF STEEL

Stageman had a searching campaign last year, culminating with a fourth placing in the Group 3 Scahill Stakes (1400m). He wasn’t seen again until late last month when he won the Listed Black Heart Bart Stakes (1200m) before running an eye-catching third in the Listed Crawford Stakes (1000m) a fortnight ago. Those two performances have him at the forefront of the TABtouch markets for tomorrow’s Group 3 Prince Of Wales Stakes (1000m), the combination of Chris Parnham and Adam Durrant not going unnoticed.

N – NOT EVERYONE’S CUP OF TEA

That applies to the Melbourne Storm, chiefly their captain Cameron Smith. Do you think both club and player give a fat rat’s clacker about the detractors? Yep, you guessed it. Absolutely not. And when you are contending every year and seemingly winning a premiership every second year, who can blame them. Congrats to the Storm for their NRL grand final victory over Penrith last Sunday night.

O – ONLY IN AMERICA

We often remark that there are parts of the USA that are that far left of centre, they’re nearly directly in front. Does that make sense? Some of you may say no, but consider the following. LA Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner was pulled out in the eighth inning of game six in the World Series on Wednesday after the MLB learnt he had tested positive to COVID-19. Once the Dodgers had clinched the title however, Turner returned to the field of play and was seen hugging and celebrating with his teammates — without his mask covering his nose and mouth. I’d like to take the shorts some of his teammates will have a fever and feel run down over the next week or so … and not because of heavy partying.

P – PUMP THE BRAKES

It was inevitable that the night grand final at the Gabba was going to ignite spirited debate about the merits of playing the biggest game of the year under lights. It would be difficult to put a fork in the concept or conversely commit to the change off 100 minutes of football before less than 30,000 in the COVID-19 era. It might be prudent to see what a night GF looks like at the MCG on a September night first before we finalise a decision.

Q – QUEST CONTINUES

Geelong coach Chris Scott commented on more than one occasion during the finals that it was a privilege to feel pressure. Despite succumbing to the might of Richmond last weekend, the Cats will load up the bases and go again. Isaac Smith is leaving Hawthorn to join Geelong, Shaun Higgins will do the same, ending his time at North Melbourne, while Jeremy Cameron has identified the Cats as his preferred destination. They remain a genuine contender.

R – R.I.P

Bruce Reid was one of the more popular figures in the AFL in recent years and his passing this week after a long illness summed up how miserable 2020 has been. Reid, affectionately known as “Doc”, had worked as Essendon’s doctor since the early 1980s.

S – SENIORS MOMENT

Nobody should ever question the football wisdom of Leigh Matthews, widely considered the greatest player in VFL-AFL history. But here it goes. What on the earth was Lethal thinking when handing out his Norm Smith Medal votes? Nathan Broad is a beauty. A good West Australian lad. But he was not deserving of two votes from Matthews, who admitted afterwards he thought Broad was Jayden Short.

T – TULLAMARINE TURMOIL

Ben Rutten has every reason to be nervous. One of his main allies, arguably his No.1 supporter in Dan Richardson, was yesterday sacked by Essendon. In his role overseeing the football department at the Bombers, Richardson was responsible for bringing Rutten across from Richmond where they worked together. Rutten would not want to have a sub-standard first year in charge in his role as the stand-alone senior coach.

U – UNENVIABLE TASK

That is what awaits the opposition of Chicago Bull in tonight’s Group 3 Howard Porter Memorial at Gloucester Park. The lethal pacer might not be at the level he was before injury struck in New Zealand in 2018, but there is no denying he is in a rich vein of form and has the draw to again dictate proceedings.

V – VITRIOL

It will be flowing freely in the cities of Pittsburgh and Baltimore early on Monday morning when the 6-0 Steelers and 5-1 Ravens lock horns in an AFC North encounter of the highest calibre. These two sides hate each other, as do their respective fans. Expect some serious physicality and trash talk.

W – WADA GOES WHACK

The World Anti-Doping Agency is not everyone’s cup of tea, but it must be commended for coming down home on sprinter Christian Coleman. The world 100m champion should have been banned last year for missing three drug tests, but his dodgy behaviour and unavailability to testers at a time when he allegedly went shopping was the final straw. Two years on the sidelines rules him out of the Tokyo Olympics should they proceed. It gives him ample time to do as much shopping as he wants.

X – XERRI ON TOP

NSW greyhound Xerri gave a great sight when second in the Million Dollar Chase at Wentworth Park and continued his build-up to the Melbourne Cup with a sizzling showing at Sandown Park on Wednesday morning. A winner of seven races from 14 starts and more than $120,000 in prizemoney, Xerri is worth keeping tabs on.

Y – YELLOW AND BLACK

There would be more than a handful of people sick and tired of hearing Richmond’s theme song following last Saturday night’s premiership triumph. That said, it is a cracking tune and we should embrace greatness, not turn up our nose at it. To the thousands and thousands of delirious Richmond fans, go your hardest, You deserve to.

Z – ZERO CHANCE

Of Clairvoyance being part of the undercard at a major meeting at Ascot in the future. Having missed the Listed Belgravia Stakes (1200m) last week to guard against a hoof issue, the strapping filly will step out in a three-year-old 1000m race tomorrow as a prohibitive favourite.