Races

The Weekly A-Z

Posted on | Posted by Digby Beacham

A – ALCAREZ’S ALL-NIGHTER

They say nothing good happens after 2am. I beg to differ. So too does Carlos Alcarez and everyone on the east coast of the United States, especially those who call New York home. The Spanish sensation outlasted Jannik Sinner 6-3 6-7 6-7 7-5 6-3 in their US Open quarter-final yesterday, a contest that lasted more than five hours and finished at 2.30am local time. It was one of the great US Open singles encounters and propelled Alcarez, the tournament’s third seed, into a semi-final showdown with local hope Frances Tiafoe.

B – BURNING UP THE TRACK

Trainer Gary Portelli would love to declare Fireburn had done just that in the lead-up to tomorrow’s Group 2 Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill. If he did though, it would be a lie. That’s not to say he’s worried. The Golden Slipper winner just doesn’t gallop well at home or trial like a Group 1 performer. Portelli is confident she will run well, just like her stablemate Sejardan, who has to overcome a sticky barrier in what promises to be an exciting race.

C – CHELSEA CASUALTY

If you needed any further proof of the cut-throat environment that exists in English football, it came this week when Chelsea sent manager Thomas Tuchel packing after only six games of the new EPL season. Tuchel paid the price after the Blues suffered a shock 1-0 Champions League loss to Dinamo Zagreb during the week. Remarkably, Chelsea currently sit sixth on the EPL table. Over to you Graham Potter.

D – DOING DIVA PROUD

Tomorrow’s Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes (1600m) has attracted only a field of eight, but there is no escaping the quality on display in the $1 million feature. WA duo Western Empire and Regal Power will have taken benefit from their first-up runs in the Group 2 Lawrence Stakes and Group 1 Memsie Stakes respectively, while I Am Thunderstruck, Alligator Blood and Cascadian are also certain to attract plenty of interest. A terrific renewal.

E – END OF THE LINE

Aaron Finch’s time as captain of the Australian one-day side is under increasing pressure after yet another failure yesterday. The experienced opener was dismissed for a duck against New Zealand in Cairns — the fifth time this year he has failed to score — to leave him with an average of 3.71 from his last seven innings. His white-ball form has plummeted so dramatically that his role as skipper of the T20 outfit is also now up for debate.

F – FLYING THE FLAG

The US Open singles assault of Nick Kyrgios and Ajla Tomljanovic stalled at the quarter-final stage this week. However, the pair can be extremely proud of another bold showing in a grand slam. Kyrgios backed up his Wimbledon finals appearance with a fourth-round takedown of world No.1 Daniil Medvedev before coming up short in five sets to Karen Khachanov, while Tomljanovic ousted Serena Williams in the third round before asking much of Ons Jabeur in their quarter-final encounter. They are clearly Australia’s best players on tour at present.

G – GILMORE THE GOAT

Stephanie Gilmore, congratulations. The Australian upstaged world No.1 Carissa Moore in the decider of the WSL Finals Day in California to win a record eighth title. Her achievement saw her move to the top of the leaderboard, one world crown in front of fellow Aussie, the legendary Layne Beachley. The 34-year-old’s first title came all the way back in 2007 in a testament to her longevity.

H – HOP TO IT

Best Richmond do exactly that because the decision yesterday by Jacob Hopper to declare Richmond as his preferred destination from 2023 onwards means the Tigers have plenty of work to do during the exchange period. Hopper is still under contract at GWS but is keen to leave Sydney and head south to continue his career alongside current Giants teammate Tim Taranto, who is set to land at Punt Road on a seven-year deal worth in excess of $5 million. Reports suggest Hopper is also being wooed by a seven-season contract from Richmond, which in turn will see GWS ask for plenty in return at the trade table.

I – IT’S BACK, BABY

The NFL off-season lasts an eternity. For those with a genuine love of American football, the months after the Super Bowl and NFL Draft drag on far too long. But the wait is over. Super Bowl champs the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills launched the new season this morning, a week one showdown that sets the scene for an excellent weekend of action that also contains the Sunday night match-up between Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay and America’s team, the Dallas Cowboys.

J – JOLT

Brisbane fans were given one this morning when it was revealed Joe Daniher would miss the semi-final against Melbourne. Daniher, the last goalkicker of the game in the pulsating victory over Richmond, flew back to Brisbane to be with his partner, who is due to give birth to the couple’s first child. His absence seriously diminishes the chances of the Lions’ causing a boilover.

K – KENNEL CONCERNS

Speak now or forever hold your peace. That applies to the powerbrokers at the Western Bulldogs after another wasted season. Coach Luke Beveridge needs to worry about coaching football, not immersing himself in seemingly every other facet of the club. And unless he is brought to heel and surrounded by those with years of experience either in coaching or football administration, the Bulldogs will tease rather than deliver. This club has seriously underachieved since winning a drought-breaking premiership in 2016, with Beveridge’s inability to lift his charges into the top four at the end of a home-and-away campaign damning. Their past two finals have been trainwrecks.

L – LIVING THE DREAM

LIV Golf had its moment in the sun last weekend and didn’t it make a splash! Dustin Johnson won an historic three-man play-off on the first hole against Joaquin Niemann and Anibarn Lahiri, sinking a 12m eagle putt that hit the hole at speed. It sent the big and boisterous crowd at The Oaks Golf Course in Boston into raptures and made it known yet again that this Saudi-backed tour is a genuine threat to the establishment, the US PGA Tour. Detractors point to 54-hole tournaments and no cut. However, there is no denying the talent LIV Golf has been able to lure.

M – MILLION-DOLLAR AUDITION

Things didn’t go according to plan for Panama Pepper last week at Richmond when he ran fourth behind Zipping Kyrgios from box five. But the Steve Withers-prepared chaser came through the run unscathed and heads to Wentworth Park tomorrow night for another crack at a Million Dollar Chase qualifier. Despite again coming up with box five, Panama Pepper heads up the market as he attempts to progress to next week’s semi-finals.

N – NOTHING TO SEE HERE

Fair play to Melbourne. Christian Petracca’s leg injury, sustained when he pressured Lance Franklin early in last week’s qualifying final, was always going to be scrutinised within an inch of its life. The Demons were able to get the Norm Smith medallist through the match, despite his obvious discomfort, and coach Simon Goodwin outlined his midfielder had corked a calf before saying scans would be required. And as soon as the results of the scans were known on Saturday morning, Melbourne put out a statement, revealing that Petracca had suffered a hairline fracture of his fibula and that they expected him to play. There was no cloak and dagger, no unnecessary lies. Rather straight-up facts. It was a refreshing approach.

O – ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO

Geelong fans couldn’t believe what they were witnessing early in last Saturday’s sold-out qualifying final against Collingwood. Traditionally poor after a bye, the Cats found themselves in all sorts early, unable to move the ball with precision whilst coughing up three goals to trail by 14 points at quarter-time. We had observed Geelong closely all year though and felt this was a different version than the ones who had come up short in finals previously. And so it proved, with the Cats clawing their way back to prevail by six points and progress direct to a preliminary final. They are now only two wins away from securing a fourth flag in 15 seasons.

P – PURPLE RAIN

Alarmingly for Fremantle last Saturday night, the only thing raining in the first quarter at Optus Stadium was Western Bulldogs goals. Midway through the second term however, the tide had turned. Caleb Serong and Andy Brayshaw got to work midfield, the defence was the beneficiary of greater pressure from further afield and the ball started to live in the Fremantle forward half. And unless you have been living under a rock, you know how the story ended. The scenes post-final siren were simply brilliant as the Purple Army rejoiced at having witnessed their beloved Dockers overcoming a 41-point deficit to book a semi-final stoush with Collingwood at the MCG.

Q – QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“I’m not really sure what to say in my position here.” That was Nathan Lyon’s response during TV commentary yesterday following Aaron Finch’s dismissal for a duck in Australia’s 50-over match against New Zealand. Here’s a suggestion Nathan. If you are a television commentator, you commentate on what you see, irrespective if you have shared a changeroom with a certain player or team. You had plenty to say regarding Justin Langer’s future as national coach. Shame you didn’t have the stones to be as forthright yesterday regarding Finch’s plight.

R – RUNNING OF THE BULL

All good things must come to an end and it was with a touch of sadness, albeit a decision laced with undeniable empathy, that Gary Hall Snr retired diminutive dynamo Chicago Bull this week. A dual Fremantle Cup winner and also a WA Cup victor, Chicago Bull amassed 62 wins and 36 placings from 113 starts. The nine-year-old, who was also placed in the 2017 Inter Dominion, joins an illustrious list of champion Hall pacers in retirement. “Once Quinny (I’m Themightyquinn) finished, I thought’s that it,” Hall told Tim Walker this week. “Then along came Bully.”

S – SAME AS EVERYONE ELSE

In his heart of hearts, Ross Lyon views himself as comparable to Alastair Clarkson. That is he deserves to be hand-picked by an AFL club in need and made senior coach. Just like what occurred at Fremantle over a decade ago. It isn’t the case. Lyon can put as much spin on it as he wants regarding his refusal to be part of the Essendon coaching process, but the bottom line is there were influential people at the Bombers who didn’t want him and had he committed wholeheartedly to the position and been interviewed, his confidential settlement involving a Fremantle staffer would have been a topic of conversation.

T – TOUGH ACT TO FOLLOW

Many Australian Rules fans were still in a state of shock when they sat down at the breakfast table on Sunday morning. What they witnessed in week one of the finals was something we had never digested before. The NRL launches its finals series this week and while it is unlikely to scale the heights of the nation’s true indigenous code, we shouldn’t gloss over the four games. Penrith and Parramatta lock horns tonight out in Penrith in a match that will be immensely physical before Melbourne Storm and Canberra and Cronulla and North Queensland do battle tomorrow. The NRL might have saved the best for last — bitter rivals South Sydney and the Roosters clash on Sunday. It promises to be a wonderful weekend of rugby league.

U – UNCLEAR

If you could make sense of what Junior Rioli was thinking earlier this week, well played. Rioli flew to South Australia to meet with Port Adelaide and when interviewed at the Adelaide Airport prior to departing back to WA, gave every impression he was keen to joint the Power. He then was met by reporters at Perth Airport where he was non-committal about his future, claiming he was “not into the politics side” of things. Bizarre to put it mildly.

V – VALIDTATION

Having made clear progress in their first two seasons under Justin Longmuir, it was impossible to argue Fremantle’s 2022 campaign hadn’t been a success. A spot in September and a home final to boot guaranteed that the Dockers were on the right path. And that was before the men in purple produced a comeback for the ages to get over the top of the Western Bulldogs before a heaving Optus Stadium crowd. The victory, which can hopefully be accompanied by another at the MCG tomorrow night over Collingwood, validates the year and ensures this current Fremantle side is well placed to become a key player in the AFL landscape for the best part of this decade.

W – WORLD REACTS

Unsurprisingly, the passing of Queen Elizabeth II overnight sparked an outpouring of emotion and  tributes. It also led to sports holding a day of mourning, with the third Test between England and South Africa and the PGA Championship at Wentworth to be paused for at least a day as a mark of respect. Several football games scheduled for today have also been postponed. Meetings later today, WA time, will decide whether EPL fixtures proceed this weekend. The fallout has been immense.

X – X-FACTOR

It will be on display in spades in a month’s time when warm-up matches for the T20 World Cup are held in Melbourne and Brisbane. A total of 15 games will be played from October 10-19, with the October 17 battle between Australia and India at the Gabba sure to attract millions of eyeballs despite being only a practice match. Australia will be out to defend their title they won last November when thrashing New Zealand by eight wickets in the UAE.

Y – YOU READ CORRECTLY

Your eyes didn’t deceive you. Tuesday’s announcement surrounding the next broadcast deal for the AFL was accurate … as hard as it to believe. In a further indication of the popularity of Australian Rules in this country, the league agreed with Foxtel and Seven West Media to a seven-year deal worth $4.5 billion, dwarfing the existing agreement of $2.5 billion over six years that expires at the end of 2024.

Z – ZOU’S STAR THREE-YEAR-OLDS

The new racing season is just over a month old, but already we are seeing the quality of Zoustar as a stallion come to the fore. It isn’t a shock. A proven performer on the track and also in the barn, Zoustar sits atop the general sires by earnings list, thanks in no small part to the deeds of Group-winning fillies Zougotcha and North Star Lass. The three-year-old crop now are from his fifth season at stud when he covered more than 240 mares. Expect the winners to flow.




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