I started out well with Calcatta, improved with La Tikka Rosa at $4.10 the place, gave some back on Dash for Viz, and came steaming home on Fulgur. I still can’t believe Fulgur was $1.30 the place with the books and $1.80 on the tote. Three out of four. Nice to go out with a bang. I’m off to the paddock now. Hopefully back in the spring, late September at the latest, but definitely for the Caulfield Guineas.

Look out for a postcard from the paddock.

I had a very interesting conversation yesterday with Joe Agresta, the track rider for the maestro, Bart Cummings. I had two questions, which have been bugging me for ages, now that I’m paying more attention to the bridle. Firstly, did Saintly have a Norton bit, and secondly, is the Cummings bridle a bit lifter? The answers are yes and yes. Saintly was a hard pulling horse. “He’d pull the arse off you”. This was a shock to me as my memory of the horse lobbing around the yard is one of relaxation. All sweetness and light. Maybe, a Jekyll and Hyde horse. Once the jockey was up he got all fired up. And if you have a close look at the Cummings bridle it has to be classified as a bit lifter, but is never recorded as such in the gear list. I guess Bart being Bart he gets special dispensation! It’s a poor photo of Rosscarbery, but decide for yourself.

Only one bet as I was feeling a bit poorly and was pre-occupied with spreading a virus around all day, but Serene Star did the job in the last.

And I always thought the verb “to hog” meant to avail oneself greedily of all the party pies on offer to the detriment of all other party goers. But it also means to cut a horse’s mane short. There was a nice hogged mane on show today by Fiddle Dee Duddle, which reminded me of  images of the Trojan war horse. The horse is a recent arrival in the Hayes stable from Perth, and apparently it is a more common practice over there. Maybe it’s something to do with the heat. The streamlined look didn’t help the horse in the run home and it finished tailed off last. Maybe it had a cold neck.

I busied myself with photography. Look, last week’s litter! I nearly got a good snap of a dangling doodle on Tonyboy in the third, but the angle of the dangle thwarted me in the end.

And I was late arriving. Whenever you are late you seem to start behind the eight ball and never recover. And so it proved. Two bets for two losers, Catered in the fillies and You Can Dance in the mares. I haven’t had a losing day for some time so I was flailing about wildly for something or someone to blame. At first I decided it was the gale force northerly wind that wreaked havoc with the horses and my hat. Then I decided it was the dodgy track. The inside was definitely off. Then I thought it was the wide running rail. Until finally, of course, it had to be the blooming jockeys. They were very poor rides. Shockers.

And then the wisdom of my motivational adviser kicked in. To deal with disappointment you must first accept that you have made a mistake, then forgive yourself, and then move on. OK. I admit that I was probably in error, I am nearly prepared to forgive myself, maybe, and I am moving on, slowly. Acceptance, forgiveness, move on. Bring on next week.

Not a bad crowd. The Reverend Gerard Whateley is doing the eulogy. His voice doesn’t waver as he sings the praises of the soon to be departed. And you can’t leave the pollies out of it. Dennis Napthine waxes lyrical about that big backside. Pete mutters a few words. The jockey mounts, parades around to stirring music, and soon it’s all over. To think, all this fuss for a horse. A horse is just a horse, even if it is Black Caviar.

The best bit? The stable letting everyone get their hands on history.

I trudged out the back before the fifth race to have a good look at Verdant, who was listed as wearing glue ons. To my surprise they weren’t in evidence. He had bright shiny new racing plates and his hoof walls looked like they had been painted with Estapol gloss. They were bright and shiny too. And no sign of any glue or glue ons. And then at exactly 2.47 pm, three minutes before the race, Greg Miles announced over the PA that the glue ons were off. Too bad if you’d already had your bet. Too bad if you were laying the glue ons from home. The horse was backed from 30/1 to 20/1 and ran on to just miss a place. The Stewards’ report remarked: “Trainer Mr R Smerdon was fined $200 for failing to notify the removal of glue on shoes from Verdant (GB) today in accordance with the rules.”

And in the last they were vigilant too: “Co-trainers Mr M Ellerton and Mr S Zahra were fined $50 for presenting Twilighting in the mounting yard with blinkers which are not part of the mare’s declared gear.” I missed that one. You’ve gotta keep your eyes peeled!

And in the first Royal Rada had the flowerpot on in the stall. Well, it’s not really a flowerpot, but the first horse I ever saw muzzled was wearing a homemade device made out of a plastic flowerpot and was nicknamed “Flowerpot”. The strapper said Royal Rada was an angry horse and as well as biting humans will even strike out at passing horses with his front legs. You may remember that good Group 1 horse Weekend Hussler used to wear a flowerpot. His strapper Margaret McDonald apparently still has the scars from his bites! Royal Rada finished eighth.

Today I noticed two bit lifters (Purple Storm and King Cotton) and a tongue tie (Honey Flower) not on the list. They are probably fairly benign pieces of gear with little impact on performance, but it’s always nice to know. Honey Flower, a beaten favourite, was late into the yard, and early out onto the track. Purple Storm ended up bleeding for a second time and is now rubbed out for life. King Cotton ran last.

A quiet day, mainly spent trying to photograph one-eyed blinkers for Volume 2, with only mixed success. But four bets, for three placed horses (San Diego, Under The Eiffel, High Esteem) and a loser (Word Gets Around).

Seagulls over Sandown

The racebook kiosk will be closed next week and you’ll need to buy your book at the bar. And the cloak room was closed. And there were probably 2000 seagulls there and barely 200 punters! What do you expect for nothing? 

“All vehicles parked within the Flemington Members Unreserved Car Park must be cleared by 7.30 pm. Any vehicles remaining after 7.30 pm will be towed to VRC Head Office at owner’s risk”.

Not a welcoming welcome to the best day of racing in the autumn! What if I’m still celebrating at 7.30 pm? Members love moaning about what’s happening to racing today. So, moan, moan.

The tea leaves aren’t looking good and so it proves. In the first both the favourites Montsegur and Bulbula have excrement on their hindlegs, which is a very bad look And the sway-backed Fine Diamond looks to be a very uncomfortable ride, not that the jock will be doing much sitting down. I cross them all out except for Diva Dee. A standout. I double my bet. Bulbula and Montsegur settle down to fight it out with Diva Dee steaming home when it’s all over for third. Such a shame they don’t pay out for third with seven horses.

I claw some back on the Cup favourite Puissance De Lune, but the $1.70 place divvy is a bit skinny, especially when my minimum is now $1.80. But I give more back on Alzora, fourth in the fifth, and Mourayan, nowhere in the Australian Cup. Centennial Park, the winner of the last, improved my mood, but it was still a losing day. My first in yonks.

And I’m given another warning as I leave the car park. No booze and no wheelchairs. Cripes! What’s happening to racing today.