** Official Cricketweb Horseracing thread **
 

Well with the big Spring Carnival in full swing i thought we should have a Horse Racing thread...

This weekend is the big Cox Plate meeting and all the talk is about Makybe Diva and whether she can place herself as the highest earning money winner in Australian racing history..

I think she is a great chance, however i think her biggest danger comes from the 2 three year olds in God's Own and Hotel Grand...

I have seen Hotel Grand personally with Anthony Cummings being the trainer of my horses and i know he has HUGE hopes for this thing...

With rain starting in Melbourne i think its only going to increase Makybe Diva's chances...
If she wins its likely that she will then go on to the Melbourne Cup and attempt to become the 1st horse in the History of the Melbourne Cup to win it 3 times....

My early tip for the Melbourne Cup is Leica Falcon, Its run in the Caufield Cup last week was a very very good Cup trial, and with such a light weight i think he is a massive chance...

For anyone else interested, i have a tip for the weekend in Sydney, Race 7 #5 Al's Flyer.. Its form recently has been very very good and was unlucky last start...

Another one to keep an eye on over the next couple of weeks... A horse called Bentley Biscuit, trained by Gai Waterhouse and has won 5 from 5 starts... Another win on the weekend and its likely that she will take him to Melbourne for a couple of starts, Definatley one to keep an eye on...

It may just be patriotism but I truly believe that Xcellent has the ability to beat the Diva tomorrow...but each drop of rain that falls on Moonee Valley reduces his chance.

Sure you can ask what he's beaten, but these have performed reasonably in Australia: Magnetism, Cheval de Troy, King Johny, Miss Potential, Cedar Manor, Shinzig.

And you may ask why he only managed to beat Distinctly Secret by about a length in the Kelt, well I can say (since I was there) he got bored when he got about two in front with 300 to go and was jogging. We haven't seen him at top gear (except maybe in his last to first win in the Mudgway).

He is the best horse apart from Sunline that I've seen race in New Zealand.

Theres a horse tomorrow that you should keep a very close eye on in the Cox. It's from my home town, Lad of the Manor, hasnt been beaten at the Valley and its form is X112 from memory, showing about $9 but its a genuine chance to pull the plate.

Your spot on with the Leica Falcon call, also a local horse, had a very luckless run in the Caufield, given another 100m or so it was home and hosed i reckon, along with Railings, its dead set the only horse that can come within coo-ee of Makybe Diva in the Cup.

Tomorrow's NZ racing has another average G1 WFA field (at $100,000 it really shouldn't be a G1, pretty disgraceful really), nothing exciting there with all the slow old farts like Millennium, Maroofity, Rodin and the like, but the other stakes races on the card are really interesting.

Darci Brahma and Dr Green have a rematch in the Wellington Guineas after one of the most exciting contests I've seen in the Hawke's Bay Guineas three weeks ago (it really was reminiscent of the video I've seen of Bonecrusher v Our Waverley Star). Darci Brahma looks to be the better horse but Dr Green (who has at last learnt how to race) doesn't go down without a fight.

And Don Garcia will destroy the 2yo field, the million dollar colt is apparently being aimed at the Slipper. Ambitious, but he was amazing on debut.

Good calls there.

More bias but you can't help but support (the mighty :D) Miss Potential in the Waterford Crystal Mile tomorrow. She's broken two legs in her career but keeps coming back. She's retiring after a couple more races, will be a shame to see her go :(

Miss Pontential stole to much of my money last spring and i won't be going anywhere near her this time round...

I've heard plenty of people talking Xcellent up but really until it performs in Australia then you really have to take it on trust..

Yeah the Miss Potential story is an awesome one, i think that race is only out of that and Niconero who put in a pretty crappy effort last start.

Daz is into the horses. Who would have guessed?

Its my main source of income really...

It could probably sort out some money problems for me if I started betting...but for some odd reason I just enjoy it for the sport, like cricket for example.

Sometimes feel a bit unique in that respect!

Haha the more you bet the more you lose!

I find it hard to follow racing and not being able to bet. My mate follows them and I find it ridiculous because he isn't able to bet. He just likes it :huh:. Maybe when I hit 18 I might get into them, having the odd punt or two (which could turn into a few more)

I agree, Lad of the Manor will be going around with my hard earned on tomorrow, loves to race up near the front of the pack, which will suit him on the crappy little MV track.

People have been saying that the Valley track has biased towards smaller horses, however in recent times, it is the bigger horses with the bigger strides which have had the more success...

For what it's worth, heres my prediction for the top four in the plate tomorrow:

1. 10 Makybe Diva
2. 2 Lad of the Manor
3. 8 Xcellent
4. 13 God's Own