At the Heath 15/10/2005
Our racing editor is on leave and I’ve had to fill the breech. Unfortunately the gig is more akin to that of a farrier’s or strapper’s than an opportunity to analyise and prognosticate about the worth and chances of inbred, bad-tempered 800 pound sacks of processed chaff. So although I’ve run an eye over dozens of race fields, turf reports and track statistics in the past week, I have not a clue as to which gallopers will greet the judge in today’s Caulfield Cup meeting. I’ll leave that to Charles, who although he supports a wowserish Presbyterian-leaning football club, the Hawks, is a keen participant in the Catholics’ favourite Satdee pastime and shows considerable prowess in recognising the qualities that make a turf winner.
Here’s Charles:
The only horse to win on each of the four days of the V.R.C. Spring Carnival was Phar Lap in 1930 (Melbourne Stakes, Melbourne Cup, Linlithgow Stakes, and C.B. Fisher Plate). Other horses could have gone back from two miles to seven
furlongs and won the same four races: Comic Court and Hyperno come to mind, as both were outstanding sprinters as well as stayers.
The person whose photo has been reproduced more than anyone else’s is King Gillette: for decades every Gillette safety blade was wrapped in a slip of smoke-blue paper, which featured the Edwardian, sideburned face of the company’s founder.
George Bissett of the Tramtown site (see link on the main page here) referred me to this interesting essay:
http://www.techcentralstation.com/101105B.html
This week: the first Caulfield-Melbourne Cups winner was the champion three year old Poseidon in 1906. But the double would have been won in the 1880s, except that the Caulfield Cup winner suffered severe interference in the Melbourne Cup, and lost by a neck. Who was the horse?
Today: the Caulfield Cup will be run at 4.05pm under perfect conditions. I am going for Dizelle 2 units to place – the barrier is atrocious, but How Now showed that a horse could be drawn out in the Simpson Desert and still win.
Yeah Charles, it’s called the Wayne Harmes alley.
