Racing: Around the grounds

Before Radio Sport became all about shock jocks trying their best to make contrary statements just to get phone calls, there were more genteel days, when a good half hour or so was spent crossing to Plunket Shield games for bites of commentary at each venue.

I'm not EXACTLY going to replicate that, but there seems to have been an awful lot going on both near and far and we don't have a heap of room to squeeze everything in each week. Some of this stuff you've read - some of it you haven't.

So here's a summary.-

• Black Caviar had a foal yesterday morning. The colt by Sebring is doing well by all reports.

• Former Geoff and Jude Knight-trained pacer Al Raza has acclimatised pretty quickly to life, winning a mile race at Yonkers on Sunday in 1.52.3 with leading driver Jordan Stratton in the sulky.

• A meeting to review the licences of Mike Stratford, after he attempted to drive with a metal-lined whip at Addington on September 11, has been adjourned to October 22 due to the unavailability of Stratford's legal counsel. Stratford will not drive or nominate any horses for racing between now and then.

• Popular Queensland caller Allan Thomas is hanging up the binoculars on Boxing Day at the Gold Coast after calling his first meeting at the same venue in January 1971.

• The Otago thoroughbred racing awards are at the Winning Post Lounge at 6.30pm tomorrow after the races. Get in touch with the club today if you want to head along. I apologise in advance for the quality of the MCs.

• Sam Kavanagh has appealed his suspension of more than nine years, handed down by Racing NSW stewards on Monday for offences related to cobalt and race day treatments

 

Lazy Fiver

I ended the non-pressurised version of the Lazy Fiver on a high with Arden's Concord winning at Ascot Park on Sunday.

I was amazed he paid more than $3 - I was expecting a price of $2.50 or less.

This once again proves why I'm a racing reporter and not a bookie.

This week, we're in to the first of our (hopefully) winners. Carl Steiner, from Queenstown, was the first name to be drawn out for $25 on the Lazy Fiver.

She might be a bit short - very short in fact - but Amazon Lily can go back to back when she lines up in race 8 at Addington tonight and we want to start the giveaways on a positive note.

Next week's question

How many races were run at Hastings last Saturday before the meeting was abandoned? Full name, your mobile number and location to my email below please.

matt.smith@odt.co.nz

 


• Check out Matt's two-minute racing tips video every week at www.odt.co.nz


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