Races

The Weekly A-Z

Posted on | Posted by Digby Beacham

A – ALL-AUSTRALIAN

Nick Kyrgios and Thanasi Kokkinakis, better known as the “Special Ks”, have thrilled tennis fans around the world with their deeds, highlighted by this year’s victory in the Australian Open men’s doubles final. Only recently they joined forces again to claim the Atlanta Open doubles final. But come early next week in New York, they will be on opposite sides of the net in the first round of the US Open. The pair haven’t met on the ATP Tour previously, but Kyrgios does boast two victories from as many meetings against his good mate in two challenger events nearly a decade ago.

B – BLOODLETTING

Hasn’t there been some and a bit more at Essendon over the past week? It started on Sunday when Ben Rutten was given his marching orders before Xavier Campbell predictably followed him out the door midweek. It didn’t stop there. Board members Simon Madden and Sean Wellman, along with deposed president Paul Brasher, also indicated they would walk away. The slate is not exactly pristine for new president David Barham, but it’s cleaner now than it was this time last week.

C – CLASSY CUSTOMER

Fingernail deep analysis of tomorrow’s Idyllic Prince Stakes at Belmont would indicate Nerodio is vulnerable. And not because the race is 1300m — he hasn’t won past 1200m — but because he isn’t going to be afforded the heavy conditions he absolutely loves. Rather a good 4 track. Six wins and seven placings from 16 starts on a good surface would suggest he is anything but a risk on top of the ground. In short, Nerodio is a star and trainer Stephanie Bakranich has done a wonderful job overseeing his career.

D – DOWNWARD SPIRAL

From top-four contender to finals spectator. Welcome to the world of the Brisbane Broncos. The 53-6 shellacking from Parramatta last night will see them finish the round outside the top eight provided Canberra dispose of an ailing Manly as most expect. The Broncos have leaked 113 points in the past two weeks and it seems coach Kevin Walters is powerless to halt their slide. And if the Raiders beat the Wests Tigers in the final round of the season next weekend, Brisbane’s 2022 will be all over.

E – EMPIRE STRIKES BACK

We have been waiting and waiting for Western Empire to get back to the races. Well, the wait is nearly over. Last year’s dominant Railway Stakes winner returns to action in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield tomorrow for new trainer Danny O’Brien. Owner Bob Peters was uncharacteristically bullish on radio earlier in the week about the five-year-old’s chances. We know here that he’s high class. Let’s hope he shows the Eastern Staters that as well.

F – FINALS FEVER

It has hit. Sort of. The pre-finals bye robs the AFL of some momentum, but it does allow the league to get through a myriad of awards and clubs to get their backyard in order before launching respective premiership assaults from next week. From a WA viewpoint, it’s terrific to see Fremantle back in September and hopefully producing a performance that is well and truly worthy of a sold-out Optus Stadium next Saturday night.

G – GIANT ASSIGNMENT

Absolutely loved the social media video GWS released this week of new coach Adam Kingsley addressing the Giants players for the first time since being appointed senior coach. Kingsley has a premiership pedigree as a player at Port Adelaide and an assistant to Damien Hardwick at Richmond. He was supportive, but also firm in what he expects from the GWS players over their off-season break. It’s a big task taking over the Giants, but Kingsley looks a terrific appointment.

H – HOUDINI-LIKE

Most of us are still shaking our heads at the come-from-behind win Collingwood achieved over Carlton before nearly 90,000 fans at the MCG. The Magpies have made a habit of climbing from the canvas, but this one topped the lot. Had they lost, an elimination final against Richmond was their reward. That wouldn’t have been overly enticing. Instead, they secured a double chance and get to square off opposed to Geelong next Saturday afternoon. The fairytale season might yet have a story or two left to tell.

I – INTENT

Anamoe made a statement of one last Saturday when demolishing his opposition in the Group 1 Winx Stakes (1400m) at Randwick. Importantly, James McDonald was able to utilise his low draw aboard the four-year-old and when he pushed the button soon after straightening, Anamoe displayed a turn of foot that only the good ones possess. It was a performance befitting a well-supported favourite and sent a signal to his weight-for-age rivals that they will need to bring their A-game for the Cox Plate during the spring.

J – JUSTIFIABLY CAUTIOUS

It’s hard to criticise the strength and conditioning team at Oklahoma City Thunder for sitting down prized recruit Chet Holmgren for the entire 2022-23 season. The No.2 pick in the NBA Draft, Holmgren suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot attempting to defend LeBron James in a charity match last week. OKC spoke to multiple foot specialists before deciding to send Holmgren to surgery, which will rule him out for 12 months. It is a long-term view and the right one.

K – KAMBOSOS v HANEY 2

Will the sequel garner as much interest as the original? It will need some serious promotion you would think, but we’ll have to wait and see. What we do know is these two lightweight fighters — George Kambosos and Devin Haney — will be hopping into the ring at Rod Laver Arena on October 16 after the Australian triggered the rematch clause in the contract drawn up before their first fight won convincingly by Haney earlier this year.

L – LIKE IT OR NOT

Manchester United. You either love them or despise them. If you support Liverpool, you absolutely loathe the Red Devils. That is why the 2-1 loss at Old Trafford on Tuesday morning was so hard to stomach from a Liverpool perspective. But it was the result the EPL needed. Manchester United remain a big-ticket item and the fact that they jumped above Liverpool after three rounds of action injected a great deal of interest into the season.

M – MUNSTER’S MILLIONS

Cameron Munster was always going to be well paid regardless of where he played his rugby league in 2023 and beyond. If the reports that surfaced late this week are correct, the brilliant five-eighth is set to turn his back on a multi-million-dollar offer from the Dolphins and remain at Melbourne Storm on a huge wage. The Storm have had to up their sights to retain Munster and while it is not a done deal yet, they look to have their nose in front.

N – NEW YORK, NEW YORK

The final grand slam of the year is right around the corner. And while it might lack star power given Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer are absent, it remains a must-watch event. The hustle and bustle of the Big Apple and the humid conditions endured by those on court at Flushing Meadows, coupled with the boisterous atmosphere in the stands, guarantees that the US Open asks so much of all competitors.

O – OUT THE DOOR

It had been on the cards for a while … Daniel Ricciardo’s exit from McLaren. It was confirmed this week when the F1 team and the WA racer made it public that they were going their separate ways. Ricciardo still had a year remaining on his existing deal and is expected to receive a pay-out in the vicinity of $15 million to vacate his seat, which will be filled by young Australian Oscar Piastri. Ricciardo wants to remain in F1, with a berth at Alpine firming by the hour.

P – PEARLY WHITES

Many a short-priced favourite has come unstuck in a Group 1. However, you can count on one hand those who believe Never Ending will join that list at Gloucester Park tonight. The Justin Prentice-trained juvenile is a raging favourite to take out the Hoist Torque Australia Pearl Diamond Classic Final for the boys. The colt is unbeaten in three starts, most recently making a mess of his opposition in the heats. He has Gary Hall Jnr for company and barrier three from which to confirm his status as one of the best two-year-olds we have seen in this State for some time.

Q – QUALITY COLT

I would love a dollar every time we hear a trainer or jockey utter those words during the spring and autumn when important races come around. Such a remark guarantees studs pay attention, with the prospect of huge money changing hands once said horse’s career on the track comes to a close. Best Of Bordeaux is assured of a career at stud given he is now part-owned by global breeding giants Coolmore. A dual Group winning juvenile, he rounded out his two-year-old campaign with a runner-up placing in the Golden Slipper behind Fireburn. The son of Snitzel resumes in the Group 3 San Domenico Stakes (1100m) at Rosehill tomorrow off the back of two trials and is understandably short in the market.

R – RANKINE FILE

The days of good young talent walking away from Gold Coast were meant to be a thing of the past. Certainly the Suns felt that was the case after the commitment from Ben King, Jack Lukosius, Noah Anderson, Matt Rowell and Touk Miller in recent years. But the Suns could not hold on to Izak Rankine, who this week asked to be traded to his home State of South Australia to enable him to continue his career with Adelaide. An undeniable talent, Rankine was seduced by a huge offer that is going to place him in the spotlight from 2023 onwards.

S – SILENCE IS DEFEANING

Paul Marsh and the AFLPA have plenty to say about a lot of things. If you were to be really harsh however, the players’ union is quiet on issues that really matter. The Sam Fisher situation earlier this year put the drugs policy in the spotlight. The AFLPA elected not to lead on that occasion. And it was extremely subdued again this week after the Dayne Zorko sledging saga came into sharp focus. The union comes down on social media racism (as it should), but doesn’t show the same zest when players, past and present, transgress.

T – T & T

The WA flag will be flown by Tsar Bell and Throttle tomorrow night at Wentworth Park. The Adam Smithson-prepared Tsar Bell has come up with box one in the Group 1 National Distance Championship (715m) before Throttle, trained by Christine Robartson, carries the blue rug in the Group 1 National Sprint Championship (520m) only 45 minutes later. Go you good things!

U – UNANIMOUS

“Basically unanimous”. Those were the words Kane Cornes yesterday used to describe the All-Australian selection panel’s decision to appoint Tom Hawkins as captain of the gala line-up that was unveiled on Wednesday night. Let’s get one thing straight. Hawkins is a champion of the game, selfless and will be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Hame as soon as he is eligible. But he doesn’t captain Geelong. To elevate him to skipper ahead of Max Gawn, a premiership captain who was named to lead the AA side’s following division, and even Patrick Cripps, was bizarre.

V – VALE TOM WEISKOPF

The golfing world of late has been divided. But it was united this week in paying tribute to former British Open champion Tom Weiskopf, who passed away after a lengthy battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 79. Weiskopf won the Open Championship in 1973, was a four-time runner-up at the US Masters, also finished second at the 1976 US Open and third at 1975 US PGA Championship. His legacy is assured.

W – WELCOME MAT

It will be rolled out for Cameron Smith later this year when he returns home in what is a coup for Australian golf. The winner of the 150th Open Championship at St Andrews last month, Smith will contest the Australian PGA Championship in his home State of Queensland in late November before venturing south for the Australian Open in Melbourne in early December. He will be joined by Marc Leishman, Min Woo Lee and Lucas Herbert in the two tournaments.

X – XANDER’S PURSUIT

All players contesting the season-ending Tour Championship this week in Atlanta were going to have their work cut out chasing down Scottie Scheffler because of the way the FedEx Cup Play-off finale is structured. But American Xander Schauffele did his best overnight, carding a four-under 66 to move to 10 under, five shots behind his compatriot. Schauffele was leading the pack in outright second, one stroke ahead of England’s Matt Fitzpatrick.

Y – YOUNG GUNS

The future has arrived and it is making some serious noise. To think that Fremantle midfielder Andy Brayshaw could be adjudged the best player in the AFL by his peers at the tender age of 21 is a remarkable feather in the cap of both Brayshaw and the environment crated by the Dockers. Brayshaw’s wonderful season didn’t stop with the Leigh Matthews Trophy. He was selected on the bench in the All-Australian side as well. Whilst on the topic of All-Australian selection, it would be a massive shock if Nick Daicos doesn’t boast a few AA jackets by the time his career is done. Daicos was a unanimous choice to be crowned the league’s rising star for 2022 on Wednesday night. Some considered him unlucky not to earn selection in the 44-man All-Australian squad.

Z – ZORKO’S REGRET

Dayne Zorko’s gaffe towards Harrison Petty last Friday night was wrong on so many counts. The apology, the morning after Brisbane were hammered by Melbourne, was unconditional. It soothed the pain, albeit he could consider himself fortunate not to have been suspended. Then Zorko decided to come out and fan the flames somewhat by alleging there was some sledging directed towards him by Melbourne players. If that is the case, that is disappointing. But Zorko is a veteran and it would have been great leadership had he not engaged in the verbal battle and instead held the Demons to account post-match.




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