All kinds of stuff about horse racing, yes, but also other stuff that we find interesting and which maybe you will, too.
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Enter Karismatic Mauritian Positivity!
Once upon a Mandrake, it was all about the Magic Man. He could do no wrong and could conjure up wizardry rides at the drop of a rabbit.
Then, things got far more interesting with the Zac and Joao Show before this became too predictable when Hong Kong horse racing was forced into becoming quite a bland television product.
Then, it became all about Zac, The Influencer taking over especially at Happy Valley which he owns with the occasional cameo appearance by the Magic Man.
Happy to be travelling under the radar has been another magician- the Mauritian Magician- Karis Teetan.
Leaving behind the brilliant four-timer at Shatin on Saturday, the hugely popular rider with everyone is right up there.
With regular doubles and trebles, he has deposed Joao Moreira as the only Jockey riding in Hong Kong who can offer the unstoppable Zac Attack with competition.
He rides light, and he gives every ride 200 percent. Especially on television, it’s not difficult to notice.
Trainers want him because they trust him to deliver the goods and owners want him on their horses because they can see that he does everything possible to win whereas racing fans appreciate his positivity.
No one has a bad word to say about him. That’s a rarity in Hong Kong.
Karis Teetan arrived in Hong Kong a complete unknown, but this quickly changed when he won his first ride in the city and in the first race of the 2013-14 racing season aboard Amazing Always trained by David Ferraris.
By the way, interestingly, none of the horses gone to other trainers following the decision by “Darth” to call curtains to his career and return to South Africa have won a race. Hmmmm.
Will there be a story about this?
As for the Mauritian Magician, his career keeps going higher and higher like a Jacky Wilson song, which begs this question: Where’s Joao Moreira going? And will Size matter?
There are at least three ways this question might be answered.
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Way to go, Roch ‘N’ Moloney!!!
It was the biggest day of his riding career, yet 28-year-old Patrick Moloney winning his first Group 1 race by taking out the G1 $1.5 million Yulong Newmarket Handicap over 1200 metres at Flemington on Saturday aboard 125-1 pop Roch ‘N’ Horse was not initially celebrated by the majority of that very odd racing community that congregates in the often blinkered online place knows as Twitter.
Maybe many were wiping themselves off the ground after that most unexpected of wins to many?
The moment Roch ‘N’ Horse won- probably the first New Zealand bred sprinter to win a G1 sprint in Australia and whose runners dominate the sprinting ranks, those who enjoy making their innermost feelings known to the public, went into complete meltdown. Except of course those who couldn’t help tweeting how they had won. We know, we know...
Being the first leg of the popular bet type known as the Quaddie, most were caught up in a weird tailspin and heralded something that will be discussed in Australian racing circles for weeks and months to come- tactics, the inside versus the outside etc etc. Oh, boy! Can’t wait?
It underlines how, more often than not, listening to all those self-appointed racing gurus rollout their “game plans” and “betting strategies” for days on end are often a waste of time.
Better to have your neglected girlfriend flip a bird after watching you trying to figure out your selections and tell you to just buy every runner in the race or only buy the two whose names she liked best- Roch ‘N’ Horse and The Astrologist. It’s not unlike her backing The Romancer to win at 140-1 a few months ago. She liked that name, too.
To give credit where credit is due, huge congrats to Jockey Patrick Moloney, Trainer Michael Maroney and Roch ‘N’ Horse plus Little Avondale Stud who bred and part own the horse and are very well known to Hong Kong owners.
Don’t think there weren’t some astute bets placed on the winner by some in Hong Kong. And before we forget, also props to Fred Kersley Jr for a terrific ride on runner up The Astrologist.
One more thing: horse racing is not an exacting science. It’s a game of chance. This is what makes it fun.
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Queensland racing and its l’il guv’nors
While racing in Queensland often reminds us of a slow motion tango taking three steps forward and ten steps back with a growing number of jockeys and trainers- and others- having different opinions about what’s maybe working at the tracks at Doomben and Eagle Farm.
Eagle Farm is a rather enigmatic track though some might call it dysfunctional and last Saturday, racing returned there on Saturday after a ten week break for another round of renovations.
Whatever is troubling the racetrack, seemingly its sand base, it didn’t stop Jaden Lloyd ride a treble and stretch his lead in the Apprentice championship.
Together with also another in-form Lloyd- brother Zac who rode a four timer the week before, the two are doing their old man and former champion rider and manager Jeff Lloyd proud.
What’s going to be interesting are what is planned to enhance the futures of the L’il Guv’nors.
Racing in Queensland seems good enough to get things rolling for young talent, but- and let’s face it- it’s become a bit of a retirement home for jockeys who might have seen better days.
Riders like the young Lloyd brothers need to eventually match skills with the likes of the better young guns making their mark in Victoria, New South Wales and the number of up and coming young female riders in Western Australia.
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Tipenis Envy?
He really didn’t like it. One could hear it in the stiff, awkward way he tried to flip it off, but having Warren Huntly, below celebrating his feat, tip the card the day before at Kilmore had clearly rattled the man called Sharkie when appearing on RSN on Friday morning.
We have no idea who or what a “Sharkie” is though we have listened to the dull thud of droning sounds as he goes on and on and on about a race and why this and that should happen.
A couple of weeks ago, he declared a winner and might even have said that he would give up the tipping game if he was wrong. He was wrong.
Alas, he’s still paid to be a tipster. Like the Red Belly Man, there they are every weekend just as they have been for decades with their cups runneth over with numbers and taking themselves way too seriously.
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The best advertisement for horse racing
Thank gawd for the timeless Lady Gai Gai who is always in complete control of everything happening in the racing game win, lose or draw.
Surely, someone should be looking at how this wonderful First Lady of Australian horse racing- strong, determined, fearless and overflowing with good vibes can be used in perhaps a more global role to promote the pastime?
We couldn’t think of a better role model, especially for all those young girls enjoying being around horses. And what about an official Gai Waterhouse stamp?
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