‘Verbal diarrhoea': Social media to explode for spring carnival
Jamie Kah is back in the saddle on Saturday at Royal Randwick.
Every Thursday, News Corp Australia's editorial director of racing and wagering Matt Williams and senior racing writer Ben Dorries chat all things horse racing.
Matty (left) and Benny (right) are pumped for the return of Group 1 racing on Saturday.
MW: Benny, the drums are beating that outgoing AFL chief Gillon McLachlan will be targeted to be the next chairman of Racing Victoria. If it eventuates, it would see ‘Big Gil' — an avid horse racing fan whose great-grandfather owned the winner of the 1931 Melbourne Cup — go head-to-head with his NRL rival, Peter V'landys, in the Sport of Kings. It's believed the Victorian government hasn't formally approached McLachlan yet but that's tipped to change in the very near future.
BD: One thing I know is Gil loves racing. He was at Royal Ascot this year. He'll also have a lot more time on his hands when he exits the AFL stage left in October. I'm not sure the coin for the chairman gig would be too appealing for someone like Gil but being chairman leaves you plenty of time for other business ventures. RV needs some strong leaders who command respect. He definitely fits the bill.
MW: Group 1 racing returns Saturday and I'm not afraid to say … I'm pumped. The Winx Stakes at Randwick kicks off a three-month extravaganza of racing in Sydney and Melbourne. Add in Jamie Kah returning from her five-month injury absence and it's a red letter day for the racing world. It's been great to see Ethan Brown and Blaike McDougall back riding winners too. It's another timely reminder how brave our jockeys are.
BD: Let's hope all the jockeys get through the spring safely. There have been plenty of highlights in 2023 but the moment no one will forget was the heart-wrenching death of Dean Holland. Our thoughts remain with Dean's wife Lucy and his four children — Harley, Franklin, Luca and Lily.
Jamie Kah returns to the saddle at Randwick on Saturday.
MW: There's one downside to the spring carnival — reading the supercharged verbal diarrhoea from armchair experts on social media. Sometimes it's live comedy for free but other times I'd rather stick a needle in my eyes. In our profession, social media is a necessary evil so we take the good with the bad. I'll also prepare myself for the 28,000 excuses when those experts' best bets get rolled. The last time I was on holidays I didn't look at Twitter for two weeks and my world was magical.
BD: Don't get me started on a bloke who tips something in the media on a Wednesday, changes his tip Thursday, has another go Friday when the track condition changes slightly and then comes up with another one Saturday, depending how the track is playing. It's hard to be wrong when you have four top selections in the one race! Our man will still sing his own praises when one of his four or five darts hit the target.
MW: The Winx Stakes is a cracking Group 1 opener for the spring. It's a watch and learn race for mine. Just make sure you have the futures betting markets open so you can strike as they cross the line. At Caulfield, we've got the PB Lawrence and Vain Stakes which are usually good guides for the rest of the spring. I've got Little Brose just ahead of Cylinder in the Vain. The price differential is crazy. There's a big, big watch on Carini in Race 5 at Caulfield. Brae Sokolski paid $925,000 for him out of Europe. He's had a couple of quiet jumpouts but this horse has class and a big motor. He can win first-up over 1400m. Blake Shinn rides.
BD: I'm happy to pot Zaaki in the Winx. What I saw from him in Queensland over the winter wasn't the old Zaaki. Yes, he ran second to Giga Kick over 1400m in the All Aged Stakes in April but horses are like elite sportspeople — they aren't Benjamin Button. Zaaki's now nine and owes no one anything. His glory days are behind him. If Zaaki wins, look out for me on TV. I'll be the one perched in the Randwick grandstand with egg dripping all over my face.
Fangirl goes around in the Winx Stakes.
MW: People power prevailed and Racing Victoria shelved its planned controversial summer race series involving jockey earpieces, no whips and team-style racing. You first broke the yarn three weeks ago and the public's reaction was swift and brutal. Great journalism will always cause angst but it has a crucial role to play in public debate. While a similar concept might still go ahead next year, now everyone can focus on what really matters this spring — great horses, great jockeys and great trainers competing on the biggest stage.
BD: The proposal was always $1.01 to be mothballed, or at least kicked down the road for another year when racing people and others fired up the way they did. Properly thought out innovations are great for racing but a vast majority of people thought this missed the mark. Everyone knows racing is a hotbed of gossip so I'm still trying to work out what those nondisclosure agreements were about.
MW: Clayton Douglas shared a funny anecdote at the Victorian Racing Awards when talking about our boy, Giga Kick. He told the crowd he had a camera set-up in the Giga's stable which was accessible from his phone anytime, anywhere. Why wouldn't he? His superstar is a priceless commodity.
BD: Giga Kick and one other horse will be the superheroes of the spring. I'm talking Amelia's Jewel — the princess of the west. Her trainer Simon Miller is a funny bugger who'll provide wonderful humour and great content as he takes us along for the ride. Leave me out of some of the largely anonymous international horses who could lob for the Cups.
