We don’t know if Andrew Bensley, above, joining as Programme Director is the reason, but whatever it is, Racing and Sports radio station RSN has recently gone through quite a mega shift and metamorphosis to its overall image- good new programming content, new talent, special hosts like former cricketer Mark Waugh, extremely good coverage on every Saturday race day of Melbourne racing etc etc.
Apart from that extraordinarily exciting Group 1 win by Anamoe yesterday with very probably one of the world’s best riders aboard in James McDonald, we thoroughly enjoyed the repartee between Lady Gai Gai, who was at the races at Caulfield, and dear old Matt Stewart.
He really can’t help tripping over himself, can he?
But he’s unique and entertaining in his own weird way.
This latest Mattism was his first question to one of our favourite ladies: “What do you think of the weather that Sydney is experiencing?”
It was pouring at Randwick with the last few races having to be abandoned.
Her answer: “Don’t you have any better questions to ask me other than about the weather in Sydney?”
Guess that weak attempt by Matt “Unchained” to bring up the weather conditions which might affect upcoming Everest Day got a not-so-subtle flick from someone who doesn’t suffer fools gladly.
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Meanwhile, at Shatin this afternoon...
One isn’t going to see an Anamoe or runners of any the standard that the brilliant colt opposed in The Might And Power at Caulfield with happy crowds not wearing masks, but if planning to follow the races at Shatin this afternoon, perhaps keep your powder dry until race 10.
The winner and quinella should come from these four runners- The Irishman (4), Keefy (7) Navas Two (9) and Galaxy Witness (14).
Though we would like to see the under-utilised Ruan Maia win on Navas Two, we’re also very much in the corner of Matthew Chadwick who rides probable race favourite Galaxy Witness.
Matthew Chadwick is an extremely good rider and, other than the Zac Attack, could be the Jockey to follow this afternoon on a hardly inspiring card with more than a couple of those dire all-weather races that are usually a raffle.
Still, it’s better than the simulcast recently presented to television viewers from Nakayama in Japan and featuring what looked like extras in an Asian Western going all over the place on horseback, and not helped by the usual Wobbly Scope filming technique that has been part and parcel of coverage of racing in Japan for decades.
It is what it was, it ain’t exactly Kurosawa and it is what it will always be.
