What the hell was going on in this race?

The favourite Cruz, trained by Killer Cross, had won its last three in a row at Albion Park, running 1.50.4 and 1.50.8 in the mile races, and 1.53.2 over 2138m.

Kid Montana was the 2nd favourite. It had won 2 of its last 3, running 1.51.4 over the mile and 1.56.3 over the marathon 2680m journey.

Both are drawn badly – Cruz on the inside of the 2nd row, Kid Montana in 5 off the front – but still it looks a match race on paper, and when Chris Geary by hook, crook and clever guile manages to push off the fence into the running land force Kylie Rasmussen on the 3rd fave Major Cam three-wide early, it looks to be game over.

Northview Hustler, a former Kiwi on the the rise whose star has fast fallen, has got a soft lead, and after Geary has given Rasmussen what for, she takes Major Cam around to sit outside it.

On the leaders back is Subtle Delight, who for a long time was a good, solid, handy toiler, but who like many horses of the post-September 19 age has somehow in his 6th year grown half a leg and is running miles 1.6 seconds faster than he ever could before.

They crawl through the first quarter in a ridiculously slow 31.8, so at the 1200m mark Geary whips out on Criz and zips around. He has a peek for the lead but Northview Hustler’s driver would be mad to give it up, and he doesn’t, so Cruz is in the death.

The second quarter is run is a slick 27.8, but that only makes the time for the half 59.6, which is very slow for a field full of Group race winners. From the spot outside the leader controlling the speed for the final half Cruz just looks a get in the queue job.

Meanwhile out the back it seems that the driver of Kid Montana, Lachie Manzelmann, has fallen asleep in the bike, because he just sits at the back doing nothing. He stays there too, not moving a muscle until the turn, when its far, far too late given that the slow early speed means they will be sizzling home.

It’s a rather questionable drive is the kindest thing that I can say, and I’m being very nice indeed by saying it.

The field reaches the 400 in a fast 28.1 seconds. and not a single driver has moved. They are all still sitting where they were 800 metres before.

Geary ramps it up on Cruz and attacks.

He joins Northview Hustler just before the turn, but then suddenly just as they hit the straight Cruz punctures like a pricked balloon and he’s gone!

WTF?

Is the same horse we’ve been seeing brain all comers over the past month? It can’t be.

The leader kicks, but Subtle Delight gets the sprint lane, and runs it down in a final split of 27.3.

Kid Montana runs last.

With the two faves out of the placings the First 4 pays the pool on all TAB’s.

The trifecta pays $580, $700 and $780.

The Quaddies – which have run fav/fav/this one/2nd fave – pay $464.

Some smart bugger or three have each had it for multiple units across the corporates.

And what do the Stewards say?

What do you reckon?

Nothing.

Welcome to Queensland, city of dreams.

 

 

 

This is race 5 at Albion Park on Saturday night.

It is a race that should have seen at least two of the McMullen sisters suspended for a long period of time for team driving.

Let me step you through it.

Pinup boy is a former star juvenile who looked a Derby prospect as a 3-year-old but didn’t quite come on as expected. It may not have kept pace with the Colt’s progress, but

the horse still goes okay, as its record of 8 wins and 10 placings since April proves.

Six of its eight wins this prep have come when its lead in the race, and another came from the sprint lane, and the last time it drew barrier 1 and led it won in 1.54.1, so you would expect driver Adam Sanderson to be firing it out of the gate tonight.

Be Mac Ce is a transplanted Kiwi who came across to the stables of John McMullen Jr post September last year with the very ordinary record of 33 starts for just 3 wins, the best of them in a mile rate of 1.58.8.

J-Mc Junior must be learning some tricks off his soon to be Son-in-Law Ryan Veivers, for he has improved the once slow horse by 5 seconds in the space of seven months, as evidenced by its win 3 starts back over this journey starting from barrier 4 and running a rate of 1.53.9.

Man From Braavos is one of those Luke and Belinda McCarthy owned horses that have been sent up to Queensland to be trained by Rocket Ronnie Sallis.As has become customary in recent times, it bolted in at Redcliffe last start and took a second and a half off its previous best mark.

On that occasion it started from the same barrier 4 as it has in this race, was driven hard from the gate to find the death seat outside the leader, ground that horse into the ground by running a 27.9 second last quarter, and ran away to win by 11.3 metres in a rate of 1.56.2.

It would be logical to assume that it might race in the same pattern this evening, particularly given the horse’s long history of being driven exactly the same way when starting from middle draws off the front row.

At West Point is the horse that shot Ryan Veivers to the number 1 spot in the World Training Ranks, after he transformed it from a Clydesdale that had won 1 from 32 last season in Tassie claimers, into a front running speed machine who can run 1.51.0 when leading and setting the pace.

The problem here is that it has only ever won 2 races in its life off the back row, and they were weak restricted age affairs 3 years ago. Since then the pacer’s record off the second row is 0 from 18 with just 3 placings.

Rhino has the old bloke flying high at the moment, but if everyone in the race abides by the rules its difficult to see how the horse could possibly get to the lead without having to work its guts out 3 and 4 wide in the middle stages which would tank it, so it has to be considered an enormous risk in this race over the mile.

That’s the form analysis and speed map for you.

Now meet the McMullen sisters.

The baby of the bunch Taleah is on Be Mac Ce in gate 3.

Big sister Narissa is on her outside in gate 4.

Middle sister Danielle is on Taleah’s back off number 10 on the 2nd row.

Look what happens here.

 

The score up, and thanks to the wonders of Startercam we can see Taleah first have a look down and behind to check that Danielle’s on her back, and then as they reach the starting point have a quick look behind to confirm it.

Looking back behind you when you’re drawn gate 3 on a leader over a mile and you’re only a few metres from the start seems a bit funny, doesn’t it.

Ha ha ha.

The starter lets them go, and Sanderson on Pinup Boy starts well from the inside, but understandably when Taleah drives out hard he lets her cross so he can sit on her back in the sprint lane.

Narissa begins well outside Taleah and should be pushing forward on her outside to grab the death seat early, but doesn’t.

Instead she just lets the horse amble along in the wide lane.

Why?

Because she wants to let Dannielle through.

She succeeds.

See that horse slicing inside Narissa’s one in the red hood?

That’s little sister Danni.

Dannielle goes to the death.

Then he has a go for the lead.

And Taleah lets her cross without a yelp.

The race has only been going for less than 300 metres, and the favourite who started from the outside of the back row is already in front.

Its game over.

Danielle wins.

Taleah runs second.

Pinup Boy finishes third.

Narissa doesn’t seem to try at all.

Just look at this stargazing she is doing in the straight.

What’s she looking for? Bunyips?

All I can see is clear air.

And a whole lotta cheating.

So what do the Stewards say about it?

Nothing.

Perhaps the Commissioner might raise it in his weekly meeting with the McMullen girl’s Mum Jeanette this morning.

I doubt it, don’t you?

I doubt a lot of things about Queensland racing these days.

This race is one of them.

 

 

 

I have commented a number of times recently about the run of success that Queensland trainer Ron Sallis is having with NSW cast-offs owned by members of the extended McCarthy clan from Cobbity Farm and beyond, and the amazing streak continued again last night at Albion Park.

In recent weeks we have witnessed wins by Sallis-trained horses owned by Janelle McCarthy (Luke’s mother), Belinda McCarthy (his wife), Fleur De Lil Pty Ltd (Luke and Belinda’s private company), and Cobbity Equine Farm, and last night it was the turn of Mr and Mrs WL and AE Lamb, the parents of Belinda McCarthy.

Rocknroll Dude started out its career with Killer Cross three years ago in fine style, winning three of its first six starts at Bathurst, Newcastle and Cranbourne, but then went off the boil, losing 13 in a row. It then won in slow time at Albion Park, had two more runs without success for Killer, and was transferred to Mathew McCarthy, Luke’s uncle, out at Bathurst.

It went 11 without a win for John McCarthy’s brother, but in among them was a DQ from a win in the Golden Gig amateur drivers series final for being driven by a pro. It then won 3 from 13 in the NSW north-west, the fastest in 1.57.8 in a race where it got a soft suck behind the leader.

Rocknroll Dude then had two more starts at Bathurst in May, racing roughly in both of them and looking like it was sore, and running stone motherless in each, then it gets sent up to Queensland to Ron Sallis.

Here’s the funny thing – the owners didn’t flick it, they simply transferred it to Ron, meaning that the Rainbow connection – the McCarthy link – remained unsevered.

It has three starts for Sallis for two placings, and then it goes bang bang.

It leads and wins in an ordinary class affair on a Thursday at Redcliffe a week ago, and runs 1.59.1.

Then it comes out at Albion Park at a metro meeting last night, wins and shaves 2 seconds off its lifetime best, run three years ago.

1.55.1 it ran.

Bloody incredible isn’t it?

They say rivers run deep.

I say that the McCarthy claws, paws and in-laws run deeper.

Make of that what you will.