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Posts Tagged ‘Manikato Stakes’

Denman ends my losing streak in fine style

September 29th, 2009 by admin

It turns out pretty much nobody was right about the Manikato Stakes at a damp Moonee Valley on Friday night. Now no-one is happy. Last time in a while I get mixed up in a race like that.

Danleigh took the honours. Who? I know. A 17.00 outsider. The favourite, Nicconi, was third and my shout Mic Mac ended up in fifth. So I look daft but so do all the weirdos who shunned Mic Mac in favour of Nicconi. Let that be a lesson to both of us. Now let’s move on.

Saturday’s hotly-anticipated NFL grand final did go the way of the favourite – in this case Geelong Cats, who won 80 to 68 over St Kilda, although at least St Kilda were making a damn good show of it until a goal in the final seconds robbed the outsiders at the last. Well, I did warn you anything can happen in a final.

Thank god there was some good news from Randwick on Saturday where my tip Denman stormed to victory in the small but competitive field of the Stan Fox Stakes. He shrank down to around 1.35 on the day so anyone who took my advice and gobbled him up at 1.50 on Friday or 1.60 earlier in the week should be smiling today. I take it my brandy is in the post. Thanks.

Unfortunately there was no double for my predictions at Randwick – the group 1 George Main Stakes was won by outsider Road to Rock – a 41.00-odd shout before the race, although Black Piranha and Onemorenomore, who I advised over favourite Racing to Win, were at least second and third respectively.

After the sweat and mud of the AFL grand final on Saturday we have the NRL equivalent to worry about next weekend with Melbourne booking their place in the big one against Parramatta after rolling over the Broncos 40-10 on Saturday.

Add to that a packed horse racing card which includes the Epsom Handicap at Randwick on Saturday, then we’ve got another powder keg week. We’re also less than 12 days away from the Caulfield Guineas. It’s getting serious now.

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Manikato Stakes offers plenty of betting mysteries

September 25th, 2009 by admin

There’s a creeping sense of “they know something I don’t” this Thursday. Sometimes other horse racing punters still put me in a strop. Allow me to elaborate.

Tomorrow night it’s the 1200m Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley, as mentioned previously in the week. It’s a group 1 race with a strong field, not least Mic Mac, Memsie Stakes winner and all-round hot shot.

It’s also been wet at the track this week and as of Thursday it’s rated as a Dead 5. By all accounts it’s still chucking it down too. Mic Mac has a good record on such a surface, winning the Memsie on turf rated Dead.

However, it’s not him who is leading the online gambling markets – it’s Nicconi, currently on 4.40 with Mic Mac on 4.60 with IASbet.

I suppose you could point to the fact that Mic Mac’s last run was a 1600m – the Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes, where he was second. However, he’s never had a great problem with the 1200m – and was first in the 1200m Aurie’s Star Handicap in August on-yes, you guessed it, a dead track.

What of Nicconi? Granted this horse last won on a short 1000m on September 12 but the record book shows he’s never actually won at 1200m, so why has he edged in front? I have visions of men in dark coats around the back of stables whispering so quietly that not even Nicconi’s pointy ears can hear them.

Granted, it is a pretty open field, but if you feel Nicconi looks the better shout over Mic Mac, please spill the beans and let me know why. And don’t say you can feel it in your waters, that doesn’t wash with my cold British heart.

Besides that, I’m still cautiously going for Mic Mac on this one. But I’d keep it low. A Friday fling, if you will, before the weekend. After all about 500 stone of muscle is colliding in the AFL grand final on Saturday, and hundreds of thousands of dollars, if not millions, will also be taking a bashing as the MCG heaves with 100,000 fans.

Meanwhile I’ll keep my eye on Mic Mac and hope to learn something on Friday night. Turf’s up.

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Who will like it wet at Moonee Valley on Friday?

September 23rd, 2009 by admin

Friday night is race night this week – it’s also group 1 racing, in the shape of the 1200m Manikato Stakes at Moonee Valley, where, by all accounts, it’s been chucking it down for about seven days now. Nothing like a track covered in drink to sort the men from the boys.

Yesterday it was rated a dead 5 with the barrier 2m out round the entire circuit after 14.5mm of rainfall in the previous week. More drizzle is expected throughout the rest of this week so it’s fair to say this isn’t likely to change much.

Enough of the forecasting – what does that actually mean for the field? Trainer Greg Eurell is set to have two running in this one – Mic Mac and the older and more experienced Apache Cat.

The statistics show Mic Mac doesn’t mind a dead track – he won on ‘D’ surfaces in the Memsie Stakes and Aure’s Star Handicap. On the other hand, Apache Cat, as far as I can see, has only ever won one race on a dead-rated track – the Blamey Stakes 3U Open back in 2007.

Phelan Ready is also running and needs to do well – he was controversially scratched from the Guineas Prelude at Caulfield on Saturday following a late vet’s call – but seemed fine afterwards. He needs a good run to stay on track to appear in the Caulfield Guineas proper but to date has not claimed a win on a dead-rated track – both his wins so far have come on ‘hard’ and ‘good’.

So, some early clues from cold, hard figures in tiny tables – thanks to Racing and Sports for the history lesson and the fading eyesight. As soon as the online horse racing betting odds come thorough for this one I’ll be all over it like a rash – and an early punt on Mic Mac might be a good move.

I’m afraid I should mention cricket again. After all, the ICC Champions Trophy is off and running today as if you hadn’t had enough from the World Twenty20, The Ashes and the seven-match ODI series with England. In most markets, including Centrebet, Australia are second favourites on about 4.25.

In my view this is a tad deceptive – the squad have been away from home for some five months and have been trying to play at their highest level almost constantly for the whole of that period. It doesn’t take a genius to work out what their energy levels are like – plus they’ve only just turned up in South Africa when most of the other sides have been acclimatising for days now. Ergo 3.25 on favourites South Africa and 5.00 on third favourites India looks more promising.

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