It is always hard to recover from a poor start. And so it proved. The Age formguide had the first race for two-year-olds going off at 1.25 pm so I timed my arrival for 12.30 to give me a good hour to have a decent look at them out the back. On entering the course I was stunned by the crowd. Thousands of children fossicking for Easter eggs. How can they be here so early? And is that Greg Miles voice I hear announcing tote dividends? No, it must be Sydney or somewhere else. I pick up my racebook and, oh no, the first race has been run and won at 12.25. The paper has published the wrong race times!
There is a brief shower and the track is downgraded to a Dead 5. And two races later, without any rain and without even opening my wallet, the track is further downgraded to Slow 6. I’ve just got here and it’s time to pack up shop without a bet. Everyone is moaning that they have been watering the track. I’m just moaning about blooming Fairfax. I might have to start getting the Herald Sun.