MY CALL - TIM BELL SET TO TAKE OUT A HARD FOUGHT METROPOLITAN JOCKEY'S PREMIERSHIP
By David Fowler | Tuesday, July 29, 2014
David Fowler is the principal thoroughbred caller for Radio TAB. David, who is a keen form student and punter, has enjoyed a lifetime involvement in the racing media. His personal blog, ‘My Call’, appears exclusively on HRO.
Tim Bell will win the metropolitan jockeys' premiership on the last day of the season at Eagle Farm tomorrow.
Not only does Bell hold a one win advantage, his book of six rides has more oomph than Cahill's line up which is also half a dozen.
Bell has strong winning chances with Super Sport (race 2), High Ace (race 3) and probably the pick of them is Heart Smart in the last.
Cahill's best is clearly Heart Stealer in the opening leg of the quadrella.
When Bell celebrated his biggest day at the Queensland Oaks meeting, a premiership success was a bolter's hope at best.
On that day he trailed Cahill by 10 wins but the Group treble of Tinto, Sir Moments and Sacred Star brought him within seven of the lead.
And in the two months since Bell has accelerated while Cahill has stalled which is where we are at today.
I enjoyed an insightful interview with Michael Cahill on my Monday's Experts program on Radio TAB this week.
Forever modest, he acknowledged Bell is a talent who will succeed if he keeps it all together.
Many will share that view.
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It would be remiss not to mention Tony Gollan and Tegan Harrison as the 2013-14 racing season draws to a close.
Gollan broke the stronghold that Rob Heathcote had on the Brisbane trainers' premiership title and Matt Dunn emerged almost as strongly.
While Heathcote isn't going anywhere, Gollan and Dunn's presence ensures strong metropolitan racing.
Tegan Harrison was given opportunities rarely afforded to apprentices and she ran with it.
She won the apprentices' title, outrode her metropolitan claim and was a key player during the Winter Carnival.
Her inclusion into the senior riding ranks, as well as Anthony Allen, is more than welcome.
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I'd like to be fly on the wall at Racing Queensland today.
All Boards will meet to put the finishing touches on the breakdown of prize-money increases in the wake of the RQ-Tattsgroup wagering deal.
Let's hope the windfall is not skewed primarily towards Saturday metropolitan prize-money that some misjudged bloggers believe is the only yardstick to judge this deal.
What nonsense. Those at the coalface will point out a hike in provincial stakes is just as important. The increases have to be across the board for the industry to consolidate and prosper.
While metropolitan increases are and must be inevitable, I've generally found the "big end of town" can look after itself more often than not.
Stand by for the announcement.
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To end, I'll pose a question to the constant critics on racing in the state.
These are the ones, by the way, that will pounce on anything that remotely resembles bad and give it a bit of negative spin for good measure and ignore any good.
Anyway, that's for another day but my question is … if Sydney racing is so powerful with the big bucks available for Saturday racing why do they attract pathetic field sizes for 75% of the racing year whereas Brisbane racing experiences small acceptances for only 5% of the year.
Over to you boys!
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