Spring Carnival.

After working well this week at Werribee, Caulfield and Melbourne Cup chance Dandino has gone amiss. Heat appeared in a front leg and the horse then became lame. It is feared the million pound earner may have run his last race.

Japan's chief hope in the Caulfield Cup on Saturday, Bande, is to undergo a vet check on Friday. Nothing is amiss, but as the horse has been backed around the globe for a fortune, stewards are keen to ensure he's at his best. He's come in from 40-1 to 7s.

It looks as though the Waterhouse gelding The Offer may also miss the race on the weekend. He has heat in his off foreleg. Stewards are to look him over.

 

Big turn up at Birdsville Oddy. The 25-1 shot Lucasam got the bickies in a driving finish. Passed in at the 08 Inglis Easter Sales for $75,000, the eight year old Dehere gelding picked up a healthy $20,000 for the win taking his earnings to $143,875. We're hoping to see him at Royal Ascot next year. If he gets there, I'll be the bloke wearing the hat with the swinging corks around the rim.

 

Just looked up Lucasam's record Oddy. He's a bush horse if ever there was one, but he seems the sort of animal you could have a lot of fun with. The link gives his race record. I could see me rolling up to the races week in, week out, with him. What a laugh.

http://www.racenet.com.au/horse/Lucasam

 

Look in the index Oddy, under Cyclonic's Masterpieces

 

I've lost most of what I've written over the years Oddy. I stored it all on a free site, but I logged on one day and it had been closed down. I was a bit pissed for a few days, but what the hell, if that's all I have to worry about, I'm a very lucky man.

Thanks for the info Ron, I'd forgotten about the Not606 collection.

 

Birdsville Cup.



Way out beyond the black stump, somewhere in the middle of nowhere, a tiny settlement called Birdsville, manfully struggles for survival between the Eastern edges of the desolate and inhospitable Simpson Desert and the equally comfortless Sturts Stoney Desert. But life there is not all drought and flies, for through this area runs a regular deluge from the catchments far away to the North. And this massive onslaught of water brings with it the wet season that the cattle country needs to survive. This part of the world is where hard people manage huge tracts of prime cattle land. And the head quarters for this bovine empire is Birdsville, with it's population of just some 115 hardy souls. There are many such places in Australia, but no other up country settlement lives as large in the psyche of the average Australian as this small town. Why? Because in this place where it's said that the crows fly backwards in order to keep the sand out of their bloodshot eyes, huge masses of country race fans annually descend upon the Diamantina Shire, a patch of dirt more than twice the size of Denmark, to take part in an event like no other. The Birdsville Cup, the outback version of that great race that stops the nation, the Melbourne Cup.

A thousand miles out of Brisbane, Birdsville rests in the South West corner of Queensland, not too far from where the states of South Australia, New South Wales, Queensland and the Northern Territory connect. To get there by road, the trip can be an adventure in itself. A constant battle with massive road trains, crumbling edges and in early September when the race is run, the beginning of temperatures that can create a nice old rash in the groin. And if it's not the heat, it's the bloody all encompassing bulldust that clings to the landscape like baby dung to a blanket. And the closer one gets to the destination, the thicker the traffic congestion, increasing in magnitude as the huge numbers of cars, trucks, buses and caravaners relentlessly trundle on. But large numbers of revelers get there by small plane. The local airstrip rapidly finds itself transformed into a sprawling city of tents. And for a short but colourful period, Birdsville blossoms like a a brilliant desert flower.

And across the road from the only hotel in town, all within earshot will be drawn by the incessant thumping of the big base drum, towards the gaudily marked boxing tent owned by the one any only Fred Brophy. Known as the Birdsville National Anthem, the constant banging will be accompanied by the friendly banter of the spruker of the last traveling boxing troupe in the country. Upon the planked trestle he'll strut and challenge. He'll call for challengers to take on his fighters with the old a round or two for a pound or two. And slowly the booze and bravado will loosen enough tongues to see all matches made. Once inside, patrons will settle into the cheap plastic chairs for the show. The Marquis of Queensbury rules are briefly mentioned but quickly forgotten, before fighters such as Little White Lightning, the Burketown Mauler, Pretty Boy and the Burramundi Kid come to wild arm waiving blows with the walk up patrons. For an hour or so the atmosphere is filled with raucous laughter and enthusiastic cheering as the worst fighters in the outback struggle to land a decent piece of cracked leather on each other.

The real reason the crowds roll up though, is for the racing. And of course the feature event is the Cup itself, run over the metric mile on a track that kicks up so much dust that some horses will reef and tear and drift back through the pack, just to avoid the great clouds of grit kicked skyward by those up front. The XXXX Gold Cup will headline a two day program that will be contested on the 3rd & 4th of this month and will cover some thirteen races with prize money totaling some $130,000. While the pickings are lean compared to the major events around the world, they never the less represent a welcome return for the battlers who support the well traveled bush circuit.

One of the interesting side lights to last years Cup was the performance of a horse called Longstreet, part owned by the a fore mentioned Fred Brophy, the boxing tent maestro. In the lead up to the race, he'd promised his long time partner that if his horse won the Birdsville Cup, he would marry the good woman. I won't spoil the outcome here, but will let you see for yourselves in the link below. The Cup is the second last event on the second day. I would also suggest that the viewer keep an ear out for the crowds reaction when the starter sets the field free for the big race. By this time of the day, I should imagine that the air is thick with the exhaled fumes of thousands of gallons of amber ale, which would then be sucked back into the lungs along with great clouds of cloying dust.

I've added a new link below. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npsPW0Mabgo

 

Thanks mate. Have a look at the whip work on the 2011 winner Let's Go Johnny. Bush rules I suppose.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmazddiKDDY

 

Interesting that heat is appearing the legs of those drawn in the car park.

 

Helens Melons would make a worthy opponent for Freddie Flintoff if he ever returns to the ring.

 

Well it's all happening with the Caulfield Cup. Japanese raider Bande, backed across the globe for a fortune, has now been ruled out of the race. He was to have a precautionary check to ensure that the money got a good run, but has now been vetted out of the race. Racing Victoria's vet Dr Brian Stewart found both heat and pain in Bande's off fore tendon. It has left a very nasty taste in the mouths of the horse's connections. The horse has been carrying a pre-existing injury that's been well looked after, and they are of the opinion that Bande is fit enough to start. An hour long discussion between connections and vet took place before he was rubbed out. Stone faced, they left the track, refusing to chat to the media. He will also miss the Melbourne Cup.


In another turn around, the Waterhouse trained The Offer, has been given the green light for the moment. He will undergo another examination on race morning.

Another to feel the wrath of the fates was Dear Demi. Placed third in the event last year, the mare was expected to put in a bold run tomorrow, but has also been withdrawn. She has fallen victim to a throat infection.

With the earlier scratching of the South Australian Gris Caro, all four emergencies will now get a run. Into the race now come Brambles with the inside alley, Araldo, Unchain My Heart and Renew. Thank goodness for reserves. It seems crazy to have major races without them.

 

Today in Melbourne, the running of the time honoured Caulfield up took place. What a race it turned out to be. They began to stoke it up at the half mile and by the three, they were into it big time. Japan came, they saw and they conquered. Top weight Admire Rakti, out in no man's land on the corner, came with a wet sail in the straight. Big win.

http://www.racingnetwork.com.au/For.../108/Default.aspx?videoid=1031489#2014-10-18:

 

Thanks for the link Oddy. Great ride by Zac Purton who's going great guns in Asia. Nice article on how the race panned out for him is below.

http://www.watoday.com.au/sport/hor...-storms-home-for-victory-20141018-1182zo.html

 

Horrendous ride on Lucia Valentina, jailcase beat, they Aussie tracks are complete joke though, if it wasnt bookmakers who designed them id be amazed.

Total bingo, importance of trip and being in the right place at the right time is monumental, its as if they designed the tracks with the specific purpose of being the worst possible way to sort out who the best horse is.

Thats how Group 3 milers from here can go and win Group 1 10f races over there.