Races

The Weekly A-Z

Posted on | Posted by Digby Beacham

A – ALL ROADS

Lead to Optus Stadium tomorrow night for the elimination final between Fremantle and the Western Bulldogs … and so they bloody well should. The Dockers are back in the post-season for the first time since 2015 and the Purple Army is justifiably excited. The match became a sell-out a couple of times this week (yes, it is confusing) and a crowd in excess of 55,000 is expected to be on hand to watch Justin Longmuir’s charges attempt to advance to a semi-final against either Geelong or Collingwood next weekend.

B – BRIGHT BEGINNINGS

It’s hard to declare a horse with a record like Mr Brightside as one of the most improved gallopers in the country. But he is. A winner of the Doncaster Mile in the autumn, the Ben and JD Hayes-trained gelding resumed with a superb win in the Group 2 Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield last month and looks to have a mortgage on the six-horse Feehan Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley tomorrow. If he wins race No.9 from just 15 starts as most expect, Mr Brightside will push his prizemoney earnings to just shy of $3 million.

C – COOL RUNNINGS

In what is a select field in the McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley tomorrow, boom filly Coolangatta has tongues wagging. She has been somewhat of a spruik horse ever since she made an auspicious debut in the Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes (1000m) at Randwick last October. She has trialled up in super fashion and will carry just 50kg in the $300,000 sprint. There will be many who have played her in the futures market for the Group 1 Moir Stakes at the same track and trip who will be very interested to see how she fares.

D – DANCING QUEEN

At a time when many mares are being covered by stallions right around the country, Snapdancer continues to go from strength to strength on the track. The six-year-old daughter of Choisir last Saturday ran her rivals ragged at Caulfield, taking out the $1 million Memsie Stakes (1400m). It was her second Group 1 victory this year, both under Ethan Brown. Connections are open to an Everest conversation, but there are also multiple options with seven-figure purses that will be strongly considered by co-trainers Ciaron Maher and David Eustace.

E – ENTIRELY UNDERSTANDABLE

Penrith Panthers coach Ivan Cleary’s decision to rest a swag of his players for the final round of the home-and-away season caused a great deal of consternation on the east coast this week. With the minor premiership locked up, you could mount an argument that Cleary would have been derelict in his duty had he not given 12 players a breather. With the finish line in sight at the end of a gruelling campaign, the Panthers’ mentor is doing everything in his power to ensure the men from the foot of the Blue Mountains can successfully defend their premiership.

F – FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER

Do you prefer a Friday night final at the MCG or a Saturday afternoon blockbuster at the MCG? It doesn’t really matter because both are salivating options, with tonight’s clash between Melbourne and Sydney at the home of football tipped to draw a crowd in the vicinity of 80,000. The Demons coughed up a sizeable lead when beaten by the Swans there mid-year, but they look a far more settled and engaged outfit for this qualifying final. Max Gawn and Luke Jackson wreaked havoc throughout last year’s finals campaign and if they are able to flex their muscles once more, the Demons look to have the artillery to advance to the preliminary final.

G – GO TIME

The Cleveland Cavaliers have shown their hand. They without doubt feel they are ready to contend. There can be no other way to assess their decision to trade for Utah Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell overnight. The Cavs get Mitchell in exchange for Lauri Markkanen, Ochai Agbaji, Collin Sexton, three unprotected first-round picks and two pick swaps. It is a high price to pay, but in Mitchell they get a bona fide star who will no doubt create havoc alongside Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen. The Cavs open their season in late October against Washington.

H – HAMSTRUNG

Talk about wrong place, wrong time. The place for Fremantle captain Nat Fyfe and Western Bulldogs midfielder Tom Liberatore? Hamstring. The time? September and the first week of the finals. It can be a cruel game, the AFL. The only positive is one of them will have the opportunity to press his claims for a return later in the post-season after the final siren sounds to end tomorrow night’s elimination final at Optus Stadium.

I – INTERNATIONAL STAGE

It beckons for big-hitting Tim David after his inclusion in Australia’s 15-man squad for this year’s World T20. David has been a successful gun for hire in the abbreviated format but has yet to represent his country. Ricky Ponting is an unashamed admirer of David, who he will work closely with at the Hobart Hurricanes over the summer. “I equate him to a bit like Andrew Symonds actually for the 2003 World Cup … he could actually win you a tournament,” Ponting said. Big praise indeed.

J – JOLLY GOOD

The $100,000 Jolly Beggar Stakes (1000m) headlines the action on an eight-event card at Belmont Park this weekend, with the first-up runs of seasoned sprinters Son Of A God and Coming Around certain to garner a great deal of interest. But the pair, along with up-and-comer and fellow first-upper Spin The Knife, will have their work cut out to deny Comes A Time winning again. The six-year-old did a mighty job to win first-up and now has a beautiful barrier which gives jockey Clint Johnston-Porter numerous options.

K – KUDOS TO KYRGIOS

Credit where credit is due. Nick Kyrgios had a banana skin assignment first-up at the US Open — a date with close mate and doubles partner Thanasi Kokkinakis. He dispatched him with a minimum of fuss and then overcame a stiff challenge yesterday in the second round against Benjamin Bonzi, winning in four tight sets. There was the trademark Kyrgios antics in his most recent win, including a tirade directed towards those in his entourage. But he is now into the round of 32 and should take care of American J.J. Wolf to be assured of a spot in the second week of the year’s final grand slam.

L – LOYALTY

The West Coast Eagles were not obliged to stand by Junior Rioli after he put his own interests ahead of the team back in 2019. Tampering with a urine sample led to Rioli’s exile from the game for an extended period. The Eagles stuck fat. Now is the time for Rioli to return the favour. He has been tempted by an offer from Port Adelaide and North Melbourne coach Alastair Clarkson is reportedly interested in luring the gifted forward to Arden Street. Those advising Rioli would be best advised to encourage him to stay with the Eagles and rebuild his career, which could quite easily have ended when he attempted to cheat the system.

M – MIGHT AND POWER

It will take a display from the top drawer to surpass what we witnessed last night from Lachie Neale. The Brownlow medallist was left unchecked for far too long and made Richmond pay for their defensive mistake, running up 39 possessions and 15 clearances. It was a mighty individual performance from Neale, who played the last 90 minutes of the match without a stint on the bench. He has set the standard for September.

N – NOT YET

Serena Williams’ form entering the US Open had been modest. That is being extremely kind. The retiring 23-time grand slam champion was just going. But Williams has made light of her sketchy formline to be assured of a third-round match against Australia’s Ajla Tomljanovic after ousting second seed Anett Kontaveit in three sets. The energy at Arthur Ashe Stadium for Williams’ opening two matches has been electric and you can expect more of the same opposed to Tomljanovic.

O – ONE DIRECTION

In 11 starts this campaign, the Adam Durrant-prepared Savage One has recorded three wins and eight placings. Therefore it was no shock that he was installed the TABtouch favourite for Sunday’s Coolgardie Cup (1760m). Savage One was this morning $2.35 to claim the $100,000 feature, with a low draw and the services of regular rider Clint Johnston-Porter anticipated to work in the favour of the five-year-old gelding.

P – PAYDAY

Rory McIlroy had been knocking on the door throughout 2022. Nobody was all that keen to answer, however. Certainly not in the biggest tournaments. That all changed on Monday morning, WA time, when the Ulsterman rallied from a sluggish start to take out the Tour Championship in Atlanta and bank a cool $26 million for his efforts. McIlroy beat Scottie Scheffler and South Korea’s Sungjae Im by one stroke. It was a great result for McIlroy, who has been fighting the fight for the establishment against LIV Golf.

Q – QUENCHING THEIR THIRST

Sometimes it’s easy to forget from this side of the country how important the game of Australian Rules is to those in Victoria. We were given a reminder in round 23 when a crowd of more than 88,000 crammed inside the MCG to witness an epic battle between traditional rivals Collingwood and Carlton. With finals football returning to Melbourne for the first time since 2019, expect something very, very special. It wouldn’t be a shock if 80,000 are on hand to witness Melbourne and Sydney locking horns tonight, while an attendance figure north of 90,000 is what those in the know are tipping for tomorrow’s stoush between Geelong and Collingwood.

R – RIP

WA lost an iconic figure this week with the passing of Bill Horn. Less than a month shy of his 90th birthday, Horn was best known as the trainer of champion pacer Village Kid. But he was more than that. A husband, a father, Horn was a wonderfully kind and considerate human being. Congratulations to Gloucester Park chief executive Michael Radley and his team for naming 10 of the 11 races this evening in honour of Horn.

S – STORM WARNING

Writing off the Melbourne Storm is flirting with disaster. The CV the Storm have established under Craig Bellamy is jaw-dropping. But here goes anyway. They cannot win the NRL premiership in 2022. Their loss last night to Parramatta in Sydney saw them drop out of the top four, forcing them into an elimination final in the first week of the post-season. It would take something very special by Bellamy to get his charges to the grand final from this predicament.

T – TRUST YOUR EYES

It was only a three-year-old 1000m maiden at Northam on the first day of spring. But seeing is believing. Despite not trialling this time in, Devine Belief was heavily supported and justified the wave of money with a blistering victory. Joseph Azzopardi found the front and even had the cheek to have a look over his right shoulder inside the final 200m as he cruised to the line. Devine Belief has always been a horse with a bit of a boom on her, well before she stepped out on debut in the Group 3 Gimcrack Stakes earlier this year. She is worth following.

U – UNDERWHELMING

Good on those associated with the Big Bash League for trying something a little different. However, last Sunday’s first-ever draft ahead of the upcoming season didn’t gain the traction many had hoped. It felt contrived and was a letdown. It’s all well and good endeavouring to drum up interest and placing a premium on entertainment during the course of a BBL season, but franchises have made it known they are intent on winning, not necessarily putting bums on seats.

V – VENOM

A fair amount of it has been directed towards the AFL’s ARC system following the decision to overturn Tom Lynch’s close-range goal in the dying moments of last night’s elimination final at the Gabba. We have been told that those in the ARC need definitive evidence to change a call made by an on-field umpire. It’s fair to assume the AFL’s understanding of definitive (the league ticked off on the reversal this morning) is different to most.

W – WORST-KEPT SECRET

Cameron Smith’s defection to LIV Golf had been spoken about since he etched his name into sporting folklore with his stirring victory in the Open Championship at St Andrews. It was confirmed this week after he finished his commitments on the PGA Tour at the Tour Championship. There are those in America who have criticised his decision to make a quick $145 million for signing on. Not sure how they could though. It is both a business and lifestyle decision.

X – X-FACTOR

Is Jordan De Goey’s time at Collingwood coming to an end? That will become clearer once the Magpies’ finals campaign finishes. What we do know though is if Collingwood are to advance deep into September, De Goey will need to have an impact. And he is well and truly capable of doing that. Cast your mind back to 2018 when the enigmatic forward was in excellent nick. In four finals that season, De Goey booted 12 goals, including three crackers in the narrow grand final loss to West Coast. He is a rare talent.

Y – YOUNG GUNS

This applies to both Justin Prentice and Never Ending. Prentice has wasted little time proving his ability in the training ranks, especially with young horses. And in Never Ending, he might have one that is absolutely out of the box. The two-year-old, a $75,000 yearling purchase by Prentice, stretched his unbeaten streak to four in last Friday night’s Group 1 Hoist Torque Australia Pearl Classic (2130m) for colts and geldings. It was a dominant display in a quality field that suggests Prentice has another star in his stable.

Z – ZIM’S REALITY CHECK

From a semi-competitive effort against Australia in the opening one-day international last weekend in Townsville to a complete whitewash midweek. That is how we are viewing Zimbabwe’s performances in their three-match series against the hosts. Australia have won the toss and elected to field both times, with their decision to insert the tourists on Wednesday resulting in a short day’s work. Zimbabwe were dismissed for 96 in the 28th over, a total Australia overhauled in 14.4 overs for the loss of just two wickets. Game three is tomorrow morning.




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