Race 1-   Tricky Miki,  Maungatahi,  Floewriter,  Swingband

Race 2-   Mighty Ronaldo,  Jumpingjackmac,  Typhoon Banner,  Machnificent

Race 3-   Ideal Agent,  Ragazzo Mach,  The Ideal Touch,  Heez Our Perseus

Race 4-   Papinik,  Major Martini,  Beat City,  Vultan Tin

Race 5-   Minstrel,  Mighty Conqueror,  Chicago Bull,  Patronus Star

Race 6-   Gambit,  Nota Bene Denario,  Fifty Five Reborn,  Tyler Brett

Race 7-   Shadow Roll,  Carrera Mach,  Whoswhointhezoo,  Medieval Man

Race 8-   Alice Kay,  Newsy,  American Arma,  Misstiano

Race 9-   Star Of Willoughby,  Dont Bother Me None,  Orlando Blue,  Pradason

Race 10- Arma Einstein,  Allwoods Rocknroll,  Machlani,  Burning Rubber

R1- Lets Rock Tonight

R2- Thewizard

R3- Tiza New Day

R4- Belonero

R5- Jill Mach

R6- Feeling Aces

R7- Minor Catastrophe

R8- Only Five Starzzz

Race 1-   Battlescard,  Griffin Lodge,  Floewriter,  Noted

Race 2-   Ragazzo Mach,  Dominus Factum,  Ideal Agent,  Henrik Larsson

Race 3-   Heez Our Perseus,  Mirragon,  Rupert Of Lincoln,  Im Soxy

Race 4-   Just Wing It,  The Ideal Touch,  Alta Intrigue,  Manning

Race 5-   Magnificent Storm,  Chicago Bull,  Rocknroll Lincoln,  Vampiro

Race 6-   Sahara Storm,  Bettor Get It On,  Iona Diamond,  Run For Mercy

Race 7-   Nota Bene Denario,  Alice Kay,  Thereugo,  Joe With The Flow

Race 8-   Beat City,  Double Up,  Withoutthetuh,  Tiza New Day

Race 9-   Know When To Run,  Arma Einstein,  Burning Rubber,  Parsons Glamour

Race 10- Nevermindthechaos,  American Arma,  Miss Boudica,  Newsy

R1- Jolted Charm

R2- Major Class

R3- Per Ardua Ad Astra

R4- White Lightning

R5- Orlando Blue

R6- Sugar Street

R7- Folsom Prison

R8- Military Star

I read a call from Marko the other day for members to put up what they were backing and reasoning why so I thought I'd chime in-great that he has been doing so and finding some great winners as well.

Had a much needed break as I wasn't enjoying the racing, was betting out of habit without really taking in much racing and doing woefully as a byproduct .

R2: Sadly missed the EW price that was initially put up for Joe With the Flow, he is about half that now. So instead had a go at the one on his back No10 Tiza New Day heavily place biased. Initial thoughts would be this is a tough grade for him but a lot of these are out of form where as he is consistently applying himself as well as he can. Suck along the pegs, hopefully behind the leader with a few dropping off over the 2536m is his A1 scenario.

R3: If you shop around you can pretty much have 2by3 bet on No11 Typhoon Banner with the place return covering your win. Would have loved to have seen him driven more positively last week but I concede that is the punter coming out in me-fully accept if he held the front he was probably just then fodder for one of the other good horses sitting on them and then Dylan would have need to patch him up. swings and round abouts here as from one off on the back line following through a strong horse he should finally be in a close enough position following a good tempo (probably 1 out 2 back behind the 2 Hall horses) to swoop home and win one. 

R4: Just something very small Mandy Joan through betfair or mid tote on the off chance the two faves cook each other.

R6: Again something very small Hampton Banner is I give him a chance of crossing these.

R7: I thought maybe No4 Heez Our Precious could push forward and then grab the one one on the back of the stablemate Gambit and then look to run over him in the straight. Even if he can't get past the two horses directly inside him and ends up further back in the moving line he still has strong place claims.

R9: Absolute cracker of a race this, I heard it possibly wont be covered by sky due to the finish time but I hope that isn't the case. I look two here on the basis it could set up for the run on horses. No8 Star Of Willoughby although beaten a long way I still thought its last run vindicated its win prior in that it still finished off really well when clear. Again shopping around i think you can find a way of going 2by3 with the place covering your win. The other one is No6 Squinta. I think this horses form is sneaking under the radar and he looks a good place play at some decent odds around and one to anchor through the novelties with the two faves.

Good luck all.

Race 3 : The Batmobile

Race 4 : Good Day Sunshine

Race 5 : Strike Team

Race 6 : Cheddar is Better

Race 7 : Tux and Tails

Race 8 : Oh So Grand 

Race 1-   Hesashark,  Middlepage,  Palatino,  Master Leighton

Race 3-   Heez Our Perseus,  Double Expresso,  Carrera Mach,  Arma Indie

Race 4-   Minstrel,  Patronus Star,  Magnificent Storm,  Chicago Bull

Race 5-   Jumpingjackmac,  Finvarra,  Typhoon Banner,  Leosabi

Race 6-   Major Martini,  Just Wing It,  Manning,  Roman Art

Race 7-   Double Up,  Gee Smith,  Beat City,  Allwood Glow

Race 8-   Sahara Storm,  Queen Shenandoah,  Sheez Our Hope,  Suing You

Race 9-   Youre So Fine,  Floewriter,  Battlescard,  Linebacker

Race 10- American Arma,  Newsy,  Nevermindthechaos,  Captains Beachbabe

R1- Oh So Grand

R2- Novel Approach

R3- Our Surrogate

R4- Bettor Class

R5- Adda Tarantella

R6- Shoot Through

R7- Tux And Tails

R8- Ideal Secret

R9- Shes A Lucky Evie

I count myself most fortunate to have spent a (very) little time with this great horse when he was campaigning over here out of Herdsman Lake. Gentle placid nature, beautifully conformed, as tough as teak, game as mustard and could strangely be driven on a thread whilst in WA. I know he wasn't the flashiest or the most flamboyant or even maybe the fastest......but he was a champ. 94 wins, 52 places from 179 tries all over the dominion, $1.39 million, Inters wins in Australia and NZ, Grand Circuit Champ 3 times, won everything everywhere. Lived until he was 30, sired about 120 winners but if you saw him race, you walked off course thinking yep, if I have to pick one to go to war with, he'd be top of the list. Remarkably, 3 of his brothers also raced at Gloucester Park, one of them becoming a cult like horse as well. Good quiz night question (no cheating).

I venture to guess that no other driver in WA has won more races from the front than Colin Brown.

Race 1-   Alta Rhett,  Blue Blazer,  Medieval Man,  Thereugo

Owners ask their drivers to drive their horse to finish in its best possible placing, Ryan Warwick did that perfectly on Friday night with Our Sequel, I doubt it could have won without an easy section, yet the driver (owner?) gets fined. I won a race at GP with a particularly ordinary horse, one much derided......the drive was magnificent, it included a slow quarter without which the horse could not possibly have won. I was delighted, the driver got fined, it was a low staked race.....I gratefully paid the "tax''. What other sport do we tie a rope around the leg of our star performers and fine them for excellence? By all means, if they go so slow or slow the pace excessively causing problems back in the filed or similar, then most definitely apply sanctions but in it's current form, this policy is in my view a blight on the industry.

If you like to punt on WA harness you are doing yourself a disservice by not accessing this information.

Race 1-   The Ideal Touch,  Heez Our Perseus,  Baltic Ace,  Pradason

Race 2-   Blue Blazer,  Mandy Joan,  Lord Rosco,  Double Expresso

Race 3-   Typhoon Banner,  Pocket The Cash,  Leosabi,  Alice Kay

Race 4-   Gambit,  Mirragon,  Jaspervellabeach,  Manning

Race 5-   Major Martini,  Minstrel,  Wildwest,  Hampton Banner

Race 6-   Balcatherine,  Alta Cinderella,  Vivere Damore,  Queen Shenandoah

Race 7-   Glenledi Chief,  Just Wing It,  Captured Delight,  Gee Smith

Race 8-   Sahara Storm,  Newsy,  Soho Broadway,  Lady Jadore

Race 9-   Rupert Of Lincoln,  Rockaball,  Mister Ardee,  Make It Quick

Race 10- Youre So Fine,  Paul Edward,  Battlescard,  Be Home Soon

R1- Endoftheroad

R2- The Party Boy

R3- Rocknonheavensdoor

R4- Goddess Of Reason

R5- Suing You

R6- Petrafied

R7- Rosies Last Attack

R8- Gold Medley

Race 2-   Mirragon,  The White Rabbit,  Alice Kay,  Rockaball

Race 3-   Back In Twenty,  Im Soxy,  My Carbon Copy,  Jaspervellabeach

Race 4-   Hampton Banner,  Perfect Major,  Wildwest,  Diego

Race 5-   Balcatherine,  Born To Boogie,  Savvy Bromac,  Wainui Creek

Race 6-   Rock Me Over,  Double Expresso,  Whoswhointhezoo,  Bee Seventeen

Race 7-   Finvarra,  Jumpingjackmac,  Blitzembye,  Cowboys n Bandits

Race 8-   Five Bangles,  Queeninthecorner,  Jay Elle,  In The Spotlight

Race 9-   Heez Our Perseus,  Our Shelley Beach,  McArdles Gem,  Machlani

Race 10- Tokyo Joe,  No Republic,  Majestic Courtney,  The Male Model

Race 1-   Know When To Run,  Machnificent,  Hesashark,  Heez Our Perseus

Race 3-   Fanci A Dance,  Rock Me Over,  Manning,  Queen Shenandoah

Race 4-   Royal Essence,  Star Of Diamonds,  Gotta Go Gabbana,  Fifty Five Reborn

Race 5-   Hurricane Harley,  Mighty Conqueror,  Galactic Star,  Bletchley Park

Race 6-   McArdles Gem,  Tyler Brett,  Machlani,  Dominate The Dojo

Race 7-   Just Wing It,  Glenledi Chief,  Withoutthetuh,  Gee Smith

Race 8-   Youre So Fine,  Floewriter,  In The Spotlight,  Paul Edward

Race 9-   Major Martini,  Alta Engen,  My Carbon Copy,  As Happy As Larry

Race 10- Soho Broadway,  Sahara Storm,  Three Rumours,  Captains Beachbabe

R1- Galactic Ruler

R2- Sweetdream Trunkey

R3- Chance Eclipse

R4- Some Copper Beach

R5- Rodger James

R6- Cheddar Is Better

R7- Novel Approach

R8- Captains Cote

Race 2-   Finvarra,  Jumpingjackmac,  Dominus Factum,  Rocknroll Elliot

Race 3-   Papinik,  Euphoria,  Manning,  Al Guerrero

Race 4-   Hampton Banner,  Wildwest,  Perfect Major,  Fanci A Dance

Race 5-   Savvy Bromac,  Born To Boogie,  Balcatherine,  Wainui Creek

Race 6-   Leosabi,  Pradason,  Henrik Larsson,  Be My Rock

Race 7-   Walsh,  Major Stare,  Whoswhointhezoo,  McArdles Gem

Race 8-   Bettor Get It On,  Harley Zest,  Parsons Glamour,  Twobob Cracker

Race 9-   Machlani,  The Kraken,  Tyler Brett,  Iamthefirecracker

Race 10- Free Wheeling,  Artistic Scribe,  Jay Elle,  See The World

Race 3 : Blitzembye

Race 4 : Caruba

Race 5 : Rockin Rufus

Race 6 : America Voodoo

Race 7 : Eye Better

Race 8 : Shehadi

Race 9 : Snorkel

Race 1-   Youre So Fine,  Illegal Act,  Floewriter,  Paul Edward

Race 2-   Alta Cinderella,  Booraa,  Suing You,  Captured Delight

Race 3-   Euphoria,  Vivere Damore,  Al Guerrero,  Mini Mine Yet

Race 4-   Shadow Roll,  Alta Intrigue,  Rock Me Over,  Thereugo

Race 5-   Hurricane Harley,  Perfect Major,  Babyface Adda,  Fanci A Dance

Race 6-   Born To Boogie,  Alta Engen,  My Carbon Copy,  Alta Blues

Race 7-   Finvarra,  Major Mucha,  Zazu,  Anvil Rollover

Race 8-   Manning,  Tyler Brett,  Bettorgrinanbarit,  Dredlock Rockstar

Race 9-   Mr Sundon,  No Republic,  Tears Of Joy,  My Mdina

Race 10- Jumpingjackmac,  Hampton Banner,  Typhoon Banner,  Rockaball

However, there are areas of the policy and its application that raise questions.

On country timing, I was astonished to see that The Situation ran 1.59.7 from the stand (a new track record) at Northam on September 19th, a gross time of 2 min.40 sec. I thought that's good, he may be better than I think. I timed the replay,, multiple times......the time was clearly out by between 2.5 to 3.5 seconds .....these are hand timed tracks, how could the rule be possibly imposed at races at hand timed venues? Someone copped one at Narrogin on Saturday night....true, they appeared to be walking early on as described quite a few times by the on course caller....but it is a hand timed venue??? Would the fine stand up on appeal? I don't know but you would have a fair case.

And finally, when introduced at Moonee Valley many years ago, a WA filly of an extremely prominent owner went over for one of the big sires stakes races, lead, won, broke the track record and the driver got fined for going too slow the first quarter. The other drivers in the race should have all put in for the $200 as it was as much their fault as the winning drivers.  Seriously. I think this well intentioned policy needs some work to be done on it before it attains the credibility it probably deserves.

The Harness Industry, perhaps more-so than our thoroughbred
cousins, was built on a hobby trainer/hobby breeder/small owner basis.
Am pretty sure most on these sites (except the profoundly ignorant)
would be aware of the highs and lows of engaging in the Industry at any
level but this week has confirmed the age old adage "if you haven't
experienced disappointment in your life, bet on horses" but if you
really want to experience misery on a grander level, try owning,
breeding or training one.

Old mate who breeds a
couple down here had a beautiful colt to a mare of top blood last
year....it was still born. Perfectly formed, fully conditioned mare and
foal, just born dead. This year, out popped a lovely colt that is
running around like a spring lamb, born on Monday but a good thing they
stayed up all night to assist with a difficult foaling. Facebook is full
of requests for foster Mums at this time of the year. Many foalings go
wrong.

Another old pal took his race winning
Alta Christiano mare to the foal down centre last week in foal to a top sire....she looked
magnificent, shiny as a top, traveled up beautifully even under my dodgy
float driving, every one happy. Produced a dead foal this
morning....somehow, an infection of the placenta reduced nourishment
flow to the foal in the last 4 weeks, impossible to detect. He will try
again for next year but is running out of years and his kids are not
interested at all.

One of my horses had to be scratched
last week with filling nearside fore, scanned, has blown a hole in his
suspensory ligament.....future unknown but guaranteed it won't be in a
pet food can, he is off to 12 months rehab on Friday. I've got a decent
mare about 10 days off foaling to Tribeca .....I've got more things
crossed than I care to look at. I am dreading the phone call from the
foaling centre.

I've got one that can run but
his feet are as soft as butter.....the most you get out of him is about 7
runs before he has to have a break. And another that can also run is
rehabbing off a cracked pedal bone. Barrel of laughs this ownership
caper. Explains why some of us get a bit short when some uninformed
couch sitter starts throwing pies at existing participants, themselves
having never owned anything more than a second hand tail hair.

Another
local owner breeds a couple and had a couple of decent ones......bit
the bullet a few years back and shelled out a 12 grand service fee, got a
nice colt, broke it in, educated it......had multiple trainers and was
still a maiden. Sold it on......its won 3 so far this season.

All
this and we are racing for about a 5th or a 6th or even less of what
the thoroughbreds go around for and yet the costs of feed, shoes etc are
the same.

Race 2-   Euphoria,  Shadow Roll,  Alta Intrigue,  Double Expresso

Race 3-   Born To Boogie,  Bettorstartdreaming,  Mandy Joan,  Typhoon Banner

Race 4-   Jaspervellabeach,  Walsh,  Whatabro,  Vespa

Race 5-   Perfect Major,  Vampiro,  Hurricane Harley,  Ideal Liner

Race 6-   Alta Louisa,  Weewah,  My Sweet Deal,  Savvy Bromac

Race 7-   Ideal Agent,  Arma Indie,  Trinity Bromac,  Thejewelinhereye

Race 8-   Otis,  Dont Bother Me None,  Stamford,  Unconditional

Race 9-   Boom Time,  Miracle Moose,  Alta Blues,  My Carbon Copy

Race 10- In The Spotlight,  Free Wheeling,  Jay Elle,  The Hope Diamond

When I have had time to do some more research I will post my view on the new proposal and how it may affect the WA Racing Industry with particular emphasis on harness racing.