Scotia on Ante-post markets

Good evening all and glad to see Interbet have loaded the fields for the Summer Cup and the bookies have posted some offers, a move in the right direction.

Was impressed with St Nicholas Abbey winning the Racing Post Trophy and so were the bookies, it is a short priced fav at 3/1 for the 2,000 gns and the same for the Derby, do we have another "star"?


St Nicholas Abbey winter
Fav for the Derby

We have some great meetings at the big T over the next few weeks, night racing starting, jockey International challenge, ready to run race and the Summer Cup, plenty betting opportunities to make a few Rands for the festive season.


Exciting times at the BigT


The Breeders Cup meeting is also on the 7th Nov, in line with night racing, so the ABC bus will be on standby.
Rip Van Winkle tops the boards at 28/10 for the Cup Classic, with the unbeaten 13 from 13 Zenyatta at 7/1, (she could run on the Friday) Summer Bird, Gio Ponti and Twice Over are also possible challengers.
Goldikova has drifted slightly for the Cup Mile at 12/10 with Zacinto and Delegator ready to give her a run for her money.
In the sprint, Zensational 16/10 is a bit of a flying machine and on the Turf race Conduit tops the boards 2/1 with Spanish Moon 5/1 and Dar Re Mi 6/1(could also be a Friday runner).


Super filly Zenyatta


Not forgetting the race that stops a nation where Efficient, Alcopop and Viewed are joint favs around 6/1, with my fancy Roman Emperor 16/1. the Melbourne Cup is on Tuesday 3rd of Nov, for the non Australians reading the post.

The jump season will soon be in full swing and look forward to watching Kauto Star make it 4 wins in the King George on Boxing Day at Kempton evens will do me.
Kauto also priced up at 2/1 for the Cheltenham Gold Cup, where Master Minded should be the best bet of the meeting at evens to win the Champion Chase.
If you fancy the National, Denman at 25/1 might be the answer?


Kauto star goes for
4th king george


The guys posting on the Forum have had a good weekend as far as winners and long may it continue.

Had a couple of emails asking if I had stopped socializing? In a word NO, still having a great time and going out more than the gas, but lets not talk about electricity, this situation is getting out of proportions, have a massive monthly account and if it goes up 40%, will be back on the Three Ships.

Good punting, and may your God be with you.

scotia

Zenyatta could be big value at 7/1 Scotia,she done a bullet bit of work over 6f at Hollywood Park this weekend.

St Nich Abbey is certainly the most exciting 2yo for a few years,hope he keeps well over the winter.

Dave,

My parents tell me that escom wants to increase charges by 45% per annum for the next 3 years?????

It almost seems more worth while to pay keep for a horse every month than paying the electricity bill!!!

True Tommy, has become a real issue.

British quintet in list of 42 for Melbourne Cup


FIVE British-trained runners appeared in the list of 42 horses remaining for the Emirates Melbourne Cup in eight days' time after the third declaration stage on Monday.

The Luca Cumani-trained pair of Basaltico and Cima De Triomphe, Godolphin's Crime Scene and Kirklees and the Ian Williams-trained Munsef make up the quintet.

However, Cima De Triomphe is far from certain to make the line up. Cumani last week described the BMW Caulfield Cup disappointment as "highly unlikely" to run with Saturday's Mackinnon Stakes the likely alternative.


Godolphin's stable jockey Frankie Dettori could be a step closer to making his mind up on his big-race ride.

"It's not confirmed, but it seems Frankie will come to ride Kirklees and Kerrin McEvoy will be on Crime Scene," Godolphin travelling foreman Tommy Strang said.

Dettori's best result in the Melbourne Cup so far was aboard Central Park, who finished second to the Bart Cummings-trained Rogan Josh in 1999.

Cummings has six entries, with the master trainer assured of three runners. Last year's winner Viewed heads the group ahead of Roman Emperor and Allez Wonder with Think Money, Dandaad and Naval Escort not yet in the field as Cummings looks towards a 13th Cup victory on November 3.


Former Ballydoyle inmate Changingoftheguard, who is now in the care of David Hayes, was given a searching solo gallop at the Sandown quarantine centre on Monday morning, his biggest test since he arrived in Australia.

The three-year-old suffered a slight setback last week with a foot abscess which burst on Saturday morning, and Hayes will wait until he works on Thursday to decide whether he runs in Saturday's Mackinnon Stakes or the Melbourne Cup the following Tuesday.

"That was his first decent blow since I've had him, he'll come on a lot for it," Hayes said.

"I haven't made up my mind yet,he's in good order. It was nice work but it's always hard to judge work when you're working on your own."

Final acceptances will be taken on Saturday, with the VictoriaRacing Club to announce the 24-runner field and draw shortly after.

Superb workout from Zenyatta raises prospects

UNBEATEN Zenyatta put in some impressive work at Hollywood Park on Friday morning, going six furlongs in 1min 11.20sec under regular rider Mike Smith and galloping out the mile in 1min 39sec.

Her time for the six furlongs was more than a full second faster than the second-best time recorded on the morning.

The work was so good that it kept alive the chances of Zenyatta taking on males in the Breeders' Cup Classic at Santa Anita next month.

Trainer John Shirreffs said: "I thought it was excellent. I thought she went out very well. Usually, you don't want to do something like that the first work back after a race, but this was an important work.

"If she was running in the Distaff [Ladies Classic] we could have coasted in with a couple of maintainance works. We needed to be more aggressive in case we go the other way."

Shirreffs's wife Dottie said of the choice between the Ladies Classic and the Classic: "EverywhereI go - Starbucks, church - people are stopping to offer me an opinion. It's nice. Everybody cares.

Dettori will ride Kirklees in Melbourne Cup


Australia: Frankie Dettori will fly to Australia on Saturday night to partner Godolphin's Kirklees in next Tuesday's Emirates Melbourne Cup.

Kerrin McEvoy, formerly second jockey to the stable in Britain, is set to partner Godolphin's other big-race runner, Crime Scene.

Kirklees finished only seventh under McEvoy in the Caulfield Cup on October 17, but racing manager Simon Crisfordwas not too disappointed by that performance.

"He didn't get the best run round, but he was staying on well at the end and has been going nicely since," he said.

Crisford added: "It's always been theplan to have two runners, with Frankie on Kirklees, and we're hoping they will both run well next week."

Dettori is keen to ensure he registers a century of British winners for the year before he flies out on Saturday.

With Delegator seemingly likely to be disqualified from his Celebration Mile victory due to a failed post-race dope test, he has set his sights on hitting the 101-mark prior to his departure.

His agent Ray Cochrane said last night: "Frankie still needs a handful of winners to get to 101, so he looks like being busy over the next few days.

"He's got a few rides booked for Saturday at Newmarket and it would be nice to do it there, if he hasn't already done it earlier in the week."

A P O`Brien`s got another cracker,Jan Vermeer a montjeu 2yo sleushed in today in the Grp1 Criterium International at Saint-Cloud.

10/1 for the Derby

RACE REPLAY

Where does he find them? I am sure the cheque book helps

I have always wondered whether good trainers find them, or make them?

Probably they make them when they find 'em, which means there must be alot of undiscovered talent just like St John Grey uncovered Alimony in his own yard as a 6yo.

Jan Vermeer 10-1 for Derby after easy victory


Saint-Cloud: Criterium International (Group 1) 1m, 2yo colts and fillies, turf

AIDAN O'BRIEN strengthened his grip on the Derby market as Jan Vermeer earned a 10-1 quote for Epsom from Ladbrokes after making all the running for an easy four-length victory.

The stable's apparent second string, Jan Vermeer set out to lead from the start under Colm O'Donoghue, with the John Gosden-trained Prizefighting for company.

After a couple of furlongs, the winner was three lengths ahead and he never looked like surrendering his lead as several better fancied runners, including his stablemate Midas Touch, appeared to toil on the soft going.


O'Donoghue sent on his mount - who was was returned a 4-1 shot on the PMU, coupled with Midas Touch - with two furlongs to run and the race was over in a matter of strides.

Godolphin's new signing Emerald Commander could never land a blow in second while 7-10 favourite, Prix Marcel Boussac winner Rosanara, only just made third a further length and a half behind.

O'Brien said of the winner, who was stepping up massively in class from a maiden win at Gowran Park: "We were worried about the ground before the race, because his last run was on good to firm. That's it for this year - he appeared to have plenty of speed.

"Midas Touch began to lean a bit and maybe didn't appreciate the ground."

O'Donoghue added: "He won very easily and he must be very smart. We were always going well."

The victory gave Ballydoyle a notable trio of juvenile Group 1s following the 33-1 Dewhurst success of Beethoven and St Nicholas Abbey's Racing Post Trohy.

Ladbrokes also shortened St Nicholas Abbey from 5-2 to 2-1 for the Investec-sponsoredClassic.

Jockey Christophe Lemaire said of Rosanara: "She went very well, but it was impossible to beat the winner. She was galloping on well at the end."

ST Nich into 9/4 for the Derby after Passion for gold who finished third behind St Nicholas in the Beresford stakes, won the Grp1 Criterium de Saint-Cloud yesterday..

Passion for gold gets quotes betwwen 10/1- 16/1 for the Derby himself..

Race replay