It was a Bigly day for West Australian racing yesterday, especially with the Darren McAuliffe trained Gatting, ridden by Jamie Kah, taking out the Group 1 Makybe Diva Stakes at odds of almost 90 to 1. And there was more…
BOIL OVER AT FLEMINGTON Gatting defeats Mystic Journey to win the Makybe Diva Stakes. pic.twitter.com/yEaXO6uBpl — 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) September 14, 2019
A few minutes earlier at Rosehill, Arcadia Queen won the Theo Marks for powerful WA owner-breeder Bob Peters.
“SHE’S A STAR ALRIGHT” – James McDonald @mcacajamez talks to SKY’s @bernadetecooper after winning the Theo Marks aboard the talented former WA mare Arcadia Queen @rosehillgardens. pic.twitter.com/xxYPw6sbxq — Sky Racing (@SkyRacingAU) September 14, 2019
Were we surprised? Not really. For years, we have been fans of WA racing, often mentioning this to those following racing in Melbourne and Sydney who fobbed off what we were saying as gibberish.
What were we saying? Just how underrated and ignored the racing down there is. How it’s not only about William Pike. How its racing is often easier to follow if wanting to win. How some of the best jockeys, horses and trainers have come- and are coming- from WA. And yesterday, was a banner day for this too often neglected poor cousin of Australian racing.
It was also good to see one of our favourite riders in Australia, Raquel Clark, leave Adelaide where she’s based to guide home the very impressive sprinter Dalasan to win at Flemington.
Dalasan provided @RaquelmClark with her first Group winner last month in Adelaide and further success followed at @FlemingtonVRC on Saturday. https://t.co/Oybxy5A2Fs — Racing.com (@Racing) September 14, 2019
Wowee, Dalasan is a serious colt with plenty of improvement. Off to the Guineas Prelude for this 3YO. pic.twitter.com/AuIx0YeBAT — 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) September 14, 2019
It’s only a matter of time before this very good young rider, who recently rode successfully in Singapore, moves from Adelaide and, like Jamie Kah has, makes her mark in Victoria.
Meanwhile, at Belmont Park, history was being made. This had to do with apprentice Jade McNaught continue her recent winning run by riding an amazing six winners and beating the Wizard himself- William Pike- twice- in finishes.
Massive day for WA in racing… Arcadia Queen✅ Gatting ✅ Jade Mcnaught 6 winners ✅ — JR Thoroughbreds (@JrThoroughbreds) September 14, 2019
It was a Big Day Out for female riders with also a double for Linda Meech at Flemington and Kathy ‘O Hara bringing home outsider Spanish Dream to close proceedings at Rosehill.
It all adds to the marketing ammunition for “Ride Like A Girl”, the long-awaited film based on Michelle Payne’s history-making win on Prince Of Penzance in the 2015 Melbourne Cup.
Of course, most of the above won’t mean anything to racing fans in Hong Kong. And why should it? Hong Kong is only about Hong Kong, especially at a time when the city has come undone and unhinged trying to find itself.
The one constant is the horse racing. And though sad to hear that we’ll be losing the excellent race caller Brett Davis, below, who’ll be leaving for Adelaide, today at Shatin, it’s all about having those much-needed four hours to block out the #hashtag movement.
Yes, it will be another Sunday starring those fighting for their future by bashing their future and the city’s past thinking that The Lone Ranger will come riding into town and put Humpty Dumpty together again and create one brand new egg roll.
This ain’t gonna happen, kids, no matter how many songs you sing and how many new marketing gimmicks are hatched.
It’s become tedious, it’s become goofy, hypocritical and looking very much like an episode of Lost.
While this Rocky Horror Show is supposed to go into even greater overdrive later tonight and bring Hong Kong to a standstill for the fifteenth successive week with many left stranded and singing “Leaving On A Jet Plane”, there are those four hours to try and find some winners.
In what is a pretty ho-hum card, if we bother to get involved instead of joining the afternoon choir of protesters singing songs and shouting slogans, these are the numbers that add up to us…
Race 1: 3-4 Race 2: 4 Race 3: 6-1-2-7 Race 4: 9-3-2-1 Race 5: 3-1-6-8 Race 6: 12-5-2-4 Race 7: 6-4-12-14 Race 8: 9-11-4-1 Race 9: 3-4-7-11 Race 10: 3-8-13-1
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