MY CALL - SIR MOMENTS PRIMED FOR THE VILLIERS

By David Fowler | Tuesday, November 18, 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.

Doesn’t Sir Moments profile magnificently for next month’s Villiers Stakes at Randwick.

I must admit to some surprise when I discovered the race carries a purse of only $175,000, a bit light for a Group 2 you might say.

But it’s a race that’s always carried a lot of prestige and you’d like to think Sir Moments will be in it right up to his ears.

It’s been a perfect preparation with the two local runs before the Festival Stakes at 1500m at Rosehill in a fortnight then on to the big dance.

The light was shone very brightly on Sir Moments during the winter and he didn’t disappoint winning the Queensland Guineas and then the Daybreak Lover.

The Guineas victory was higher profile but I thought the Daybreak Lover was more authoritative.

I’ll be mightily shocked if he’s not Queensland’s strongest prospect at next year’s Winter Carnival with the $2 million Stradbroke firmly in his sights.

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I’m happy to admit I might have got it wrong with last week’s suggestion that the spate of small fields might not be as I put it “a flash in the pan”.

Sunshine Coast rolled up with good numbers on Friday and a similar response to the Gold Coast metro meet a day later.

But the field sizes situation IS a dilemma in Sydney.

Despite racing for $80k purses on Saturdays and $40k at midweeks, Warwick Farm last Wednesday could only muster 56 runners, a disgraceful 46 lined up at Canterbury on Friday night and a below average 74 went to the barrier at Rosehill on Saturday.

And this isn’t new by the way.

Let’s hope their much vaunted strategic plan to be released this week contains a line or two about improving field sizes.

The betting turnover must be taking a king size hit.

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Matt Hill rang me on Wednesday to let me know that he had resigned from Sky Racing to pursue commentating options in other sports.

While offering congratulations on one hand, I couldn’t help but be disappointed that a great talent will be lost to racing.

And Australian racing can’t afford to lose top broadcasters, particularly one in his early thirties.

I greatly admire Matt’s broadcasting style of accuracy, elegance and inflection, clearly a candidate for Australia’s best broadcaster

His departure leaves a big gap to fill.

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I was puzzled with some “timing issues” on the weekend.

First cab off the rank was why Sunshine Coast was programmed for Friday when everyone knew there would be mass exodus out of Brisbane because of the G20 and traffic would be diabolical.

End result, everyone was late so all races went back a race!

Then race seven ran two minutes early and no-one wants to take the responsibility for it. Another timing drama!

The trifecta arrived on Sunday when the race-times for Warwick were shifted forward because of a predicted heatwave day.

Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t the hottest part of a day generally around lunchtime?

Why wouldn’t the times be rescheduled to, say, a 2.30 to 5.30 timeslot?

A weird weekend.

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I’m tired of the so called “form experts” telling me what price they got this and that when the markets go up late Wednesday for Saturday racing.

They start their boasting on Thursday mornings so I can only conclude they must do their form as soon as the fields are released on a Wednesday.

Anyone worth their salt has to spend at least five to six hours doing the form properly for an eight race card so I presume they’re speed mapping and video watching on Wednesdays.

Well, I presume they are doing the form properly and not just taking a stab.

That wouldn’t be good for their followers, would it?

Until next week

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