Warrnambool racing

The MAS has been following horse racing since he was a boy, taken along by his father to the Saturday races in Bendigo or Ballarat (depending on where we were living at the time.) He grew to be an under-age punter trying to place 50c and $1 bets, and revelled in the thrill of finding a winner.

As recently as last summer, the MAS finally realised that he was a hopeless punter, and decided to give it away. No regrets there, really, as he still watches and enjoys the races on Sky Racing and Racing.com, and still is of the opinion that if he were betting, he would still be losing. Those decent collects were, of course, so few and far between that one can never be properly in front of the game. But, watching trainers, jockeys and owners considering their chances, and seeing the thrill of (a very expensive) victory is great fun.

Today sees the first day of the famous Warrnambool Carnival. In a lifetime of following horse racing, the MAS has always been at work when this meeting has been on, and so has had to rely on replays; and that of course is not the same. No, he won’t be at Warrnambool this week either, but for the first time can watch the three days unfold unencumbered by the need to pay attention to work.

So here are some tips for the next three days: Darren Weir will dominate as the most successful trainer. No one else will have close to as many starters as he will, and he will win a lot of races. Robert Smerdon seems to always get winners at the ‘Bool so expect him to do so again. Patrick Payne is a genius in preparing jumpers, and he may well start with a winner in the Brierly Steeplechase, the main race on Tuesday, when he saddles up Zed Em.

The Galleywood Hurdle on Wednesday is an excellent race with many chances. Payne has Angelology, Smerdon has Arch Fire, and Weir has Renew, all of which are major players, along with Honey Steel’s Gold and John Monash. So, a great race to watch, and maybe some value for punters because of the even nature of the race. The other big race on Wednesday is the Wangoom Handicap, with 15 runners over 1200m. Weir has 6 runners here, and may well win it with Mahuta who was placed at Group 1 level last spring.

Thursday features the Grand Annual Steeple and the Warrnambool Cup. Racing.com asks if this is the best field ever assembled for the Annual – it certainly has plenty of depth. The MAS will stick with Payne’s pair No Song No Supper (who won last year) and novice ‘chaser Slowpoke Rodriguez. The John Sadler trained Observational is the MAS pick in the Cup. He is a Group 3 winner last time out in the city, and while he has plenty of weight to carry, he does have ‘Froggy’ Newitt on board, one of the most under-rated jockeys in Victoria.

The MAS is excited and looking forward to the next three days, but takes no responsibility for your punting – if you like my tips then good on you, but there is no guarantee on them!