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'Caught the racing bug' at a young age and a keen student of the sport's history.
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Welcome to a Roar special in Cox Plate week, to celebrate Winx's attempt for an historic third-straight victory in Australia's weight-for-age championship. Yesterday, Cam…
The Cox Plate is at the top of Australian racing. The best racing the best over 2040m, at weight for age and at Moonee…
Throughout this week Cameron Rose and I have detailed how we would change Australian racing's Group 1 calendar. Concerned by declining mainstream interest in…
The Roar's racing calendar restructure continues today with a rundown of the proposed changes for Australian autumn racing, after Cam Rose walked us through…
Welcome to the first instalment of an ongoing discussion between Roar Racing experts Cam Rose and Justin Cinque on the structure of the Australian…
The 2015 Melbourne Cup (3200m, Group 1, handicap) will be run for the 155th time on Tuesday at 3pm. Horses trained in Australia, England,…
When I watch a great thoroughbred stretch for victory, a second lasts an hour and those moments become memories I never forget. The 2015…
The new racing season is under away with some underwhelming Group 2 weight for age races headlining meetings in Sydney and Melbourne. In last…
On Tuesday, Racing Victoria announced a handful of changes which should improve the Spring Carnival program. The most important was a reduction in distance…
The 2015 Sydney Carnival comes to a close on Saturday when the final two of 21 Group 1 races are run at Randwick. It's…
It's one of the great debates among racing fans: which is the best race meeting in Australia each year? Many favour Derby Day at…
For more than 12 months, the best trainers in Australia have been critical of the programming in the Sydney Autumn Carnival. And now it…
The 2014 Melbourne Cup (3200m, Group 1, handicap) to be run at Flemington on Tuesday at 3pm has brought together one of the most…
They say you need everything to go right to win a Melbourne Cup, and the same applies to the horse racing fantasy game Star…
On Friday night, the world's best sprinter, Lankan Rupee, was beaten for a second time in two starts at Moonee Valley this spring. Both…
The winning margin may only have been three quarters of a length, but it's hard to think of a better example of a great…
Lankan Rupee, the horse with the white heart marking on his head, affirmed his title as the best sprinter in the world with a…
The inaugural Championships begin on Saturday at Randwick. The name alone suggests the racing will be great. Day 1 is highlighted by the richest…
On the first Golden Slipper day in The Championships era, the brightest star was undoubtedly Silent Achiever, who won The BMW (2400m, Group 1,…
Jockeys are the backbone of racing. Every time they jump on a horse they place their life at risk, and their sacrifices should never…
That is absolutely right Andrew. The fact it is a 37-race carnival does dilute the four meetings. Yet, it is without a doubt the best week of racing in Australia and one of the best Carnivals in the world.
I dont want to sound like im a Derby Day hater. I love the meeting and its atmosphere and I love Cup week just as much. And I intend to be there this year for Derby Day, probably starting my Derby Day at a ridiculous hour just to get on a plane to see it!
Day 1 of The Championships can catapult the Sydney autumn past the spring
I am with you Cameron. A more clear cut transition from Melbourne to Sydney in the autumn would help both carnivals. It works well in the spring. The racing in Sydney has more depth until the first weekend in October and then on Turnbull/Epsom Day the baton changes to Melbourne and Sydney’s run ends. Although now with the spring champion meeting standing alone that too is more blurred than it ought to be.
Day 1 of The Championships can catapult the Sydney autumn past the spring
Certainly am from Sydney. Stand by the point and believe in it. I guess you are from Melbourne?
The spring is fantastic. But I expect to see better racing in the autumn now. And in 2015 i have not been disappointed. The next two weeks will be massive.
In the sydney autumn you have the nation’s best mile, best sprint and in the QE a race equal to if not superior to the Cox Plate as the best middle-distance race. The best 2yo race. The best middle-distance and staying 3yo races. Probably the best 2400m in the BMW too.
Sydney has so much potential.
Day 1 of The Championships can catapult the Sydney autumn past the spring
Slipper crowds had been falling well before the championships came along. There was 22000 in attendance when Sebring won it. Crowds were in decline from about 2005.
That said the crowds should be much better. I think the Slipper marketing was poorly aimed at the party crowd this year. The BMW crowd was deplorable. But then again Rosehill Guineas Day never used to draw a crowd anyway.
What was good at least was an increase of 1000 people on last year’s Slipper crowd from 18000 to 19500. The day deserves a crowd of at least 30000 however.
Day 1 of The Championships can catapult the Sydney autumn past the spring
That last paragraph is a super point. So if a horse up in the weights gets the bikkies, who will it be? Surely not Sacred Falls on a slow track!
The Championships Day 1: Doncaster, TJ Smith, AJC Derby, Sires Produce
I do agree and i think we are on the way to luring horses away from the world cup. Last years visitors were a rung below this year’s.
I would like to see better sprinters come from overseas but when the top European sprinter comes to Melbourne and gets pumped that doesn’t help. I think there are easier options for travelling sprinters and that is why we have not had many travel here over the years… Not as many as we have got for other races.
Day 1 of The Championships can catapult the Sydney autumn past the spring
Leebaz was strong last week just outsprinted. Down in weight now. I can make a case for him. Likes it wet too
The Championships Day 1: Doncaster, TJ Smith, AJC Derby, Sires Produce
Yes Roy was adamant that he should never have lost. Vain was a lengendary sprinter. He should have a Group 1 named after him. We have enough!
Day 1 of The Championships can catapult the Sydney autumn past the spring
There is ok splattering of talent over the course of ten or 12 years there that has travelled for the Melbourne spring from Asia. Lucky Nine boosted the carnival he attended, as did Cape of Good Hope, and Mighty High to a lesser extent but the talent there does not compare to that which has come out to Sydney this year. The Japanese visitors add more than those that have come from Hong kong in years gone by. Yes there is the Dubai World Cup to contend with along with races in Hong Kong but the Sydney autumn obviously offers plenty to Asian owners and they have travelled in good numbers this year to make the autumn carnival all the more interesting. Of all the horses mentioned above, Dominant may well be better than most of them and he was well beaten in the Ranvet two weeks ago.
I think there is going to be hard work to get sprinters here. We have the best so it is not worth the travel in the eyes of many.
As for attracting our colts to the TJ smith, that is more challenging. The Brazen Beau owners are eyeing a stud deal and their talk re skipping the TJ Smith and declaring the Newmarket the best sprint in Australia were evidence of that. The breeding industry is too powerful at the moment.
Day 1 of The Championships can catapult the Sydney autumn past the spring
Cracking meeting Cam and a super preview. You certainly made me think about Leebaz.
The Donny is wide open but i would be surprised if the winner wasnt a low weight. Can Berry produce another great ride from outside barrier on Hallowed Crown? I think he is the horse to beat but there are many chances.
Im not a massive fan of Hauraki in the Derby. Surely the jump in grade is too far for him and he did benefit from a McDonald peach of a ride last Sat. Im keen on Volk and Preferment fighting it out again. I like the Kiwi on a soft track.
The TJ Smith is super hard to pick. I think the track condition plays a big part here. Lankan Rupee had a pectoral issue at Flemington. I still think hes the best sprinter in the world and on a wet track hard to beat. Terravista and Chautauqua are not far behind and any of those three winning would be no shock. Top race!
I think Pride of Dubai would have troubled Vancouver who would have loved the 1400m in the sires. So the snowden colt can get the job done. The lake geneva formline reads well!
The Championships Day 1: Doncaster, TJ Smith, AJC Derby, Sires Produce
Cam, I agree that there will never be 300000 people that attend the Championships like they do Cup week.
But Caulfield Cup crowds have been falling for ten years and there is every chance the Championships will outdraw the Caulfield Cup and Cox Plate in the next few years if not this year.
Day 1 of The Championships can catapult the Sydney autumn past the spring
Obviously James I have to disagree. There is nothing wrong with running a 1400m Group 1 at Rosehill. Look at the Hobartville and golden rose for proof. I would like the ATC to promote an autumn sprinter-miler series that goes Canterbury 1300 to All Aged 1400 to Ryder 1500 and culminates in the Donny.
I have no doubt that going from 2400 to 2000 is very trainable but the problem is trainers dont want to do it this season after many of them complained about it for a long time. The obvious thing to do is to make the changes i propose. If the changes i propose were made i would hope the program would remain as such for several years. Races have always interchanged between tracks. The Orr used to be run at Sandown and the Underwood, if i remember correctly, at Williamstown. Both are great Australian Group 1s now.
The solution to the Championships programming bungle
For supreme dominance there has not been a Cup win like Protectionist’s. His last 400m was incredibly quick.
Saintly was awesome. The Diva was breaktaking, Kiwi incredible, Might and Power so so tough but Protectionist was just paralysingly brilliant in an era when the Cup could be a weight for age race.
The solution to the Championships programming bungle
Sheek i ccompletely agree. Merger? What merger?
The solution to the Championships programming bungle
Scub I’ll take them on. I reckon Protectionist was better than Kiwi!
The solution to the Championships programming bungle
Fair call Scuba and thanks for clearing this for me. I stand corrected. Only two top weights have won the Melbourne Cup since 1953!
2014 Melbourne Cup: Preview and top tips
Fair call Ads. I don’t think I was close in 2012. The race didn’t pan out as I, or many others for that matter, anticipated.
But if you read my preview last year and backed six horses and didn’t have anything on Fiorente then you only have yourself to blame. I tipped him only for fourth but I spoke glowingly of him in the preview. If you went wide, you had to save on him as a minimum.
2014 Melbourne Cup: Preview and top tips
Good to hear that you’re in the Protectionist camp Brent!
2014 Melbourne Cup: Preview and top tips
I think if you could back a horse to run well Araldo would be quite short. Asking him to win the Melbourne Cup is a completely different question. That’s why the odds are juicy.
2014 Melbourne Cup: Preview and top tips
I think that’s a very fair summation Cam. On close inspection, it is a race that can be sorted out ok.
2014 Melbourne Cup: Preview and top tips
Triple checked my facts after reading this post Me Too. I can’t see who these few are. Do tell 🙂
Rain Lover was second top weight in 1969
Think Big was second top weight in 1975
Might and Power was third top weight in 1997
2014 Melbourne Cup: Preview and top tips
I think that was the perception Scuba. I think the ATC are attempting to correct that bias. How much damage has it done?
At the track, the Slipper carnival is not what it used to be. Bad crowds and hardly a true punter or racing fan to be found in the public enclousre. The party crowd has scared them all off.
Day 1 of The Championships can catapult the Sydney autumn past the spring