By Max Presnell
The lenient handicapping of last-start winners will be tested again at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, emphasising how Sydney Saturdays are being allowed to wither on the numbers vine.
Some of the events are intriguing, particularly the two-year-olds and the feature, the Expressway. But small fields remain a blight on the best betting day of the week.
Hugh Bowman rides Coolring to victory at Canterbury in December. The horse will be strongly fancied in the TAB Rewards.Credit: Getty Images
It will be fascinating to see the progress of Gai Waterhouse's two-year-olds, which have excellent race form but have resembled dromedaries in recent barrier trials.
Then there is the quandary around Chris Waller in the Expressway due to the leading trainer having five out of the 11 acceptors.
Top-liner Boban, a member of the Waller team, has an edge in class on his rivals but faces delicate hurdles, mainly based on just what degree the surface is rain affected.
But a highlight is the Australian Turf Club tribute to Bob Rowles, who has the final race named in his honour.
That's the good part.
Obviously, Racing NSW and the Australian Turf Club are obsessed with the Autumn Carnival and The Championships, particularly regarding overseas visitors, with little inclination or idea of how to rectify the numbers problem that has existed for a significant period.
However, a learned authority, well versed in handing down judgments in another chosen field, but a student of the turf for more than half a century, reckons Sydney can be well served with better handicapping.
"Winners are too leniently treated, and out-of-form horses don't get weight relief quickly enough," he said. "Given 12 horses correctly assessed it would be 7/2 [$4.50] the field."
Of course, producing 12 starters, regarded as an ideal punting medium, on a Sydney Saturday can be difficult when seven out of the eight races on Saturday produce less.
Perhaps a test case for the light treatment of winners is Bjorn Baker's Coolring, successful at his last two attempts and strongly fancied in the TAB Rewards. Winning sequences, in my opinion, are due to adroit placing, finding the right races by trainers.
Coolring has been aided recently by a couple of sweet rides from Hugh Bowman and James McDonald takes over for the suspended top-liner.
Earlier this week, McDonald severed a link with the Hawkes team to concentrate on Godolphin horses, a bold move even considering the numbers of the Warwick Farm outfit.
Sam Kavanagh is another trainer stinging up winning sequences and has Palazzo Pubblico chasing four straight in the Schweppes. Palazzo Pubblico takes on Mardi, which should have three in a row but was an unlucky second last start at Randwick.
Mardi is prepared by Waterhouse, again promising to be a power with the two-year-olds considering Vancouver and Ulster (Cannonbury) and Guilietta and Pierette (Widden).
Vancouver and Pierette, with strong race credentials, went around in the same Randwick 1050 metre heat on January 15. Alas Vancouver went down by four lengths and received a "tired under riding" verdict from The Midweeker, the specialist two-year-old publication, while Pierette, behind him, produced a "shared last turn, no finish".
Waterhouse may wave a magic wand over Vancouver with a blinker trick, dropping them in a trial but reinstalling them on Saturday. She has taken blinkers off Pierette for her clash with Guilietta, in gazelle mode at her Rosehill debut. The triumph was on top of the ground and not a heavy eight as it was on Friday, a concern for Waller with Boban.
Waller will monitor the ground and decide whether to start him on Saturday. Boban is a convicted bleeder and one more attack means a life sentence in Australia so some delicacy is required.
Boban is rated on 113 by Racing NSW handicappers, which indicates how well he is placed under weight-for-age conditions, even against the three-year-old Panzer Division (88).
Any concerns regarding Saturday's 1200metres should be referred to Boban's first-up performance in the Missile Stakes in September when he was beaten three quarters of a length after which the "rider was questioned".
Top horses come and go but Rowles, who died recently, wasn't forever, but just about.
"For 67 years, Bob Rowles kept the lid on the jockeys' rooms at Sydney racecourses that had the potential of being cesspools of corruption," I wrote in 2013. "The message to get to and from jockeys during race days is regarded as so important some jurisdictions lock them away from the outside world. Sydney had Rowles, who employed the true meaning of integrity and intelligence."
"He refereed bouts between George Moore and Athol Mulley as well as keeping a wary eye and ear for modern technical leaks," said Racing NSW chief steward Ray Murrihy. "Bob wasn't one to keep running to the stewards.
"In many difficult circumstances he handled himself. There should be a hall of fame for officials such as Rowles, from whom the industry benefited so much."
Play the exotics
Parlay: Race 2 – (6) Coolring, Race 4 – (2) Guiletta, Race 5 – (5) Sarajevo, Race 6 – (1) Boban (if scratched (7) That's A Good Idea).
Quadrella: Race 5 - (2) Sarajevo, (4) Mr Bogart, Race 6 – (1) Boban, (7) That's A Good Idea, (8) Territory, Race 7- (6) Georgie Aeroplane, (9) Sasenkile, Race 8 – (3) Aghamore,(4) Alias, (10) Law.
Early Quadrella: Race 1: (4) Mawahibb, (5) Outreach,Race 2 – (6) Coolring, (7) Countryman, Race 3 (1) Holy Delusions – (4) Mardi, (5) Adorabeel, Race 4 – (2) Guilietta (best bet).
Best Box Trifecta: Race 8 – (3) Aghamore, (4) Alias, (9) Law.
Best Quinella: Race 5 – (2) Sarajevo, (4) Mr Bogart.