The Sunday Collect

Published: 21 Dec 2014

A welcome fair track - Only the win of Phrases was a big surprise on a fair Rosehill track

Finally! Rosehill saw some even racing after weeks of bias, flying mud divots and small fields. If you didn't win yesterday, there weren't many excuses to throw at the race club. Jockeys, trainers and poor form reading were all that stood in our way. Oh, and maybe the odd overseas import that paraded like the moderate heat in Western Sydney was equatorial Mexico. It’s A Silver Trail was definitely 'on his toes'!

Flemington on the other hand is still coming along 'gently gently' for Mick Goodie after a massive Spring Carnival. Having two meetings in two weeks is a bit of an odd decision and we ended up with an 'Off Rails" bias again. It would have cost a few gallopers that love the railing up dearly. Otherwise, all was pretty fair.

Big Collects

Ottoman - O'Shea must have told every man and his dog how good Ottoman was. The money kept rolling in and she finally jumped at $1.30. A missed kick, poor racing manners and well-performed place-getters didn't stop her from winning. An absolute moral.

Craftiness - Jo Pride had a smile ear-to-ear like a cheshire cat, and why not after the talented Craftiness was ridden like the plunge horse that he was. It looked like it was a big collect for the Warwick Farm horseman.

You beauty - Jo Pride enjoyed the big win

Unlucky Runners

Harrier Jet - That first beer on Saturday night would have tasted pretty sour if you backed this guy. He enjoyed the run-on shape of the race, but didn't enjoy a clear passage. Simply should have won.

Magical Stance - Sam Clipperton's well-behaved ride was anything but magical if you had your money on. He did the right thing by waiting patiently. You can imagine that someone like Nash would have made sure the gap appeared though.

Well-behaved boy - Magical Stance never got a crack at them on Saturday

What Were They Thinking?

Phrases - Bush trainer Bindi Cheers gave the orders to 'find cover' in a race with no tempo. The aggressive apprentice Serg Lisnyy ignored that and strolled to the front, stacked them up and booted him home at 90/1. Bindi didn't give him a telling off. Neither did the stewards.

Vashka - A dominant winner last start and hardly the heaviest or most powerful horse, there wasn't much to suggest 1500m was going to be an issue. Some of the 'pros' bet heavily against him though and they came out on the wrong side of the get out stakes.

Romped in - Punters let the price drift out and Vashka made them pay

For the full Analyst review of the day's racing, from the Yard to the Post, click here.