A nasty day with a blustery and punishing north wind. Now here’s a question. Which of these three international horses would you back if you were just looking at the body language of the strapper? Scottish, Sir Isaac Newton or Articus?
-
- Scottish
-
- Sir Isaac Newton
-
- Articus
The answer is of course Scottish! How relaxed is that strapper! Let alone the horse! But I missed on the trifecta. My final six were Preferment, Scottish, Sir Isaac Newton, Almoonqith, Sir John Hawkwood, Jameka and Pemberley. I liked Jameka in the stalls, then crossed her out in the parade ring, then crossed her back in in the yard. Can you cross a horse back in? I had Real Love as a good thing until my apprentice advised that I was looking at the wrong horse! And with the benefit of hindsight I think I included two knights too many! I couldn’t come at Exospheric because of the glue on shoes. But I’m not complaining about the $2.60 for second.
From my vantage point at Randwick racecourse in front of the one and only screen showing the Melbourne parade ring I noticed that Scottish was wearing a crossover nose band. He must have had some pretty healthy positives for Geoffrey to override the dreaded XNB negative. I um’d and ah’d over Jameka but finally decided she was tossing her head around too much. Serves me right for hesitating.
Scottish was irresistible in the stalls! I hated Jameka’s head behaviour which is why I was so indecisive but finally put her in at number 6 since there wasn’t anything else compelling!
Exospheric looked like a beast in the mounting yard, all muscle. The glue on shoes were a negative but had to back him to place on muscle alone.
Jameka was clearly the one they had to beat on paper.