The naming of horses has always made me wonder, especially as I tried to name one A Horse With No Name and was knocked back as it was thought that this might confuse listeners. As for other names, some are clever like the poor trotter named Screamin’ Seaman while others are just plain weird.
In Hong Kong, there was a horse called Piggy and on Sunday in a testament to Truth In Racing is a first-starter for John Moore named Secret Sham in Race 7 which sports a shadow roll for the first time. What else?
With all the different- but same- players in Hong Kong, NZ and Oz involved in the buying and selling of horse and the incredible mark-ups that some manage to get away with, well, Secret Sham makes sense for this new Ponzi scheme which is showing a new sign in greed.
How long can those involved get away with this? There’s a sucker born every day, so it will carry on until those being sucker punched get wise or hire advisors they can trust and not those who play both sides of the fence. We talk about integrity in racing and for this to be a holistic mantra, the bloodstock business, especially, and horses being sold to Singapore and Hong Kong, needs some tidying up before it all collapses in an illegal heap and the Independent Commission Against Corruption, at least in Hong Kong, steps in. Let me just say, Beware The Ides Of March.
The ICAC almost work on a “commission basis” and the bigger fish they can fry and can go into PR overdrive, the better for their pension funds and their raison d’être.
In Hong Kong, we are already seeing a familiar face at those Carbine Club lunches embroiled in a writ against his former partner- some Chinese professor whose “can’t lose” computer formula for winning at the races- was found to be wanting with those who bought “shares” in this scheme a tad pissed off.
Oh dear, and some of the familiar names who recruited these shareholders!
It makes the plot of “The Producers” look like a kiddie game ponzi scheme. So many ponzies everywhere.
Now, with those chills running down some spines, racing takes place without those two drawcards- Dougie Whyte and Zac Purton, both of whom are serving two day suspensions for something like fingering each other in Phuket or something like that. Dunno.
But it gives the other boys with great talent- Little Timmy Clark and Tye Angland, both grossly underutilized- a chance of getting on some decent winning rides though their books of rides on Sunday don’t exactly explode with winners- on paper.
Brett Prebble is back after his suspension spent in Oz and, hopefully, not have given any more “exclusives” to his mate Ritchie “I don’t know what I’m saying but I’ll say it anyway” Callander.
On the subject of Prebble, one has to wonder if the Mutual Admiration Society formed between him and John Moore has already gone tits up.
On Sunday, Prebble has zero rides for Moore but does ride two for bon ami David Hall. Shudder. I give them no chances, but gawd knows what to expect when that combination comes together.
At recent meetings, Moore has been leaning Moore and Moore to Neil Callan and which comes as no real surprise there- and this continues on Sunday.
It’s nothing personal, it’s just business and another transparent horse opera.
Elsewhere,other supporting players using their so-called seats of power to act as “organizers” and play for all sides.
Also back after a holiday is The Duckman – Howard Cheng, who has been riding with surprisingly great style, has, I think, good winning chances in race 5 (Panther Run) and Race 8 (Cheetah Boy) whereas Amber Sky should win race 9 with two legs in the air for another jockey riding with immense confidence- Matthew Chadwick, who is such a happy boy.
Chadwick has some decent rides for Tony Cruz and could take out the Jockeys Challenge in a tight looking market where no one jockey looks to have a brilliant book of rides.
The bummer for me is seeing that hoodoo horse Saddler’s Lodge plodding along again, this time in a Class 5, all-weather race. And THIS horse was once seen by its owner as being a Derby prospect??? Sounds like a bit of another birdie num num it the dust my little papadums.
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