The ten race The Championships race series was a success. The wet track made it a little hard to line up some of the form but really, the tracks are always wet around Doncaster time in Sydney.
The average winning price for the ten races was just under $10, but that is a bit misleading because Diamond Drille won the Queen of the Turf at $43.80 which of course pumps up the average. In reality, of the ten races, six favourites won, one second favourite, one horse at $10.90 that had been backed from $20, Diamond Drille at $43.90 and Eloping at $16.50. Of the ten races, seven of the winners started at single figure odds.
The Doncaster – Why didn’t we see it? On a heavy track last year, Sacred Falls beat Pierro. Of course he could do it again this year. The Home of Racing tipped the trifecta in this race from our first, second, third and fourth selections.
T.J. Smith Stakes – The best horse won the race and we always try and make excuses but Lankan Rupee just smashed them. On The Home of Racing we tipped Buffering as an each way special and Lankan Rupee for second. The quinella was good, but we also had Rebel Dane in for third. Another trifecta tipped on The Home of Racing.
Derby – This was not the strongest Derby ever, and after it was all said and done, Criterion looked the winner and he won accordingly. Yep, we tipped him on The Home of Racing.
Sires’ – Peggy Jean just managed to get past Scratch Me Lucky. On the Home of Racing, we had Peggy Jean as second pick and Scratch Me Lucky as the best longshot. It might be a stretch, but if people took the three horses that were recommended in a quinella, it ended up paying $59.80.
Royal Sovereign Stakes – Sidestep won from Bounding. Sidestep was clearly the run of the race while Bounding will be better over more distance. We did not tip into this race.
Royal Randwick Stakes – Eloping made perfect use of the good barrier and the little bit of leader bias that was on offer. The Home of Racing did not tip in this race.
The Sydney Cup – The Offer displayed a dazzling turn of foot to come from back in the field and destroy his rivals in this race. Now please readers… don’t take the $11 about The Offer for the Melbourne Cup which is in six months’ time. Fiorente jumped at $10 last year and he is a much better horse than The Offer. The Home of Racing was pretty confident about this horse in this race and tipped accordingly.
Queen of the Turf – Here at The Home of Racing, we are prepared to make note of when we get it right as well as when we get it wrong. The Queen of the Turf looked at two horse race between Catkins and Red Tracer. We settled on Red Tracer and she ran a disappointing third. Catkins did not feature in the finish. Gai produced the winner, the mare Diamond Drille. A big miss on this race.
Oaks – At the Home of Racing, we thought Lucia Valentina was a little short and was a risk, so we went with Zanbagh each way. It ran second and paid $2.10 a place so no damage done. But Rising Romance was a surprise. She was backed into second favourite but she had been so soundly beaten by Lucia Valentina in the Storm Queen that she simply looked outclassed. In the end the three runners in the race that were fancied filled the trifecta.
Queen Elizabeth – A big miss on this race. We had a theory that the horses coming back in distance should be scrubbed as should the horses who had failed at 2000m in the past. In the 2013 Rosehill Guineas, the quniella was It’s A Dundeel (by 7 lengths) with Sacred Falls in second. In the 2014 Queen Elizabeth it was the same quinella and we potted them both. You live you learn!
By Zeb Armstrong
