MY CALL - A LITTLE HELP FROM THE STEWARDS PLEASE!
By David Fowler | Tuesday, July 14, 2015
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.
Should stewards ask a question when a horse EXCEEDS expectations?
It’s an interesting point and it gained momentum when Satirical Lass blazed a trail at Doomben on Saturday.
The time of 1:08.66 is checked and correct and the five length winning margin was there for all to see.
It’s worth putting the time in perspective. It’s within a second of Takeover Target’s near decade old track record and only two horses bettered 1:09 during Doomben’s four days of the Winter Carnival.
There wouldn’t have been a form student who would not have posed the question after the win, “How did she do that”.
Most would rate Satirical Lass as a consistent and competitive galloper in the 1200 to 1400m range. No more or no less.
And here’s the rub. A steward’s question to the stable might reveal a change in the feeding regime, a different approach to trackwork or something.
There were no gear changes so it’s a reasonable argument to put that Satirical Lass has improved nearly six lengths (her previous career best time was 1:09.69).
I understand horses aren’t machines and they can have good days and bad days but from a consistency point of view, we would hope Satirical Lass has another “good day” next time she appears.
Some stewards’ assistance would go a long way in punters understanding the matter a lot better.
*************************************************************************************************
Some social media “experts” were quick to jump on the Doomben “on pace bias” bandwagon again at the weekend.
I frame “experts” in inverted commas because they are self-proclaimed and, similarly, with “on-pace bias” because it’s a myth.
There is no doubt most winners raced in or near the lead on the eight event card but why do these “experts” automatically equate that to “on pace bias”.
And I suppose winners Kaiser Franz and Lordag running on from the second half of the field was an inconvenient truth for them.
What makes it worse that so many fall into the trap and believe these twits in the twitterati sphere.
**************************************************************************************************
There seem to be youngsters sired by Rothesay winning everywhere.
The handsome son of Fastnet Rock had six individual winners in nine days and is in the box seat to be champion first season sire.
His pedigree, his looks and his brief racetrack career suggest he is a stallion to follow.
**************************************************************************************************
Is it a warning sign of things to come that several races aren’t being divided in the last few weeks?
This is the time of year when two and three-year-old races are overloaded with acceptors, striving to snatch some last minute QTIS money.
Yet we’ve had up to eight emergencies declared in some races which is plain silly when two fields of 12 could have been drawn.
Is this telling us something?
**************************************************************************************************
Racing Queensland’s interim CEO Ian Hall will join me on Radio TAB at 10am on Thursday morning to discuss several issues confronting the Queensland racing industry.
Should be worth listening to.
More articles
|