Rosehill Turf Talk: Best bet gets key gear change, plus a $71 tip
Form experts Mitch Cohen and Shayne O'Cass debate all the key chances at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday, including a recently-gelded Godolphin sprinter and a Kris Lees runner that will go around at a massive price.
• PUNT LIKE A PRO: Become a Racenet iQ member and get expert tips – with fully transparent return on investment statistics – from Racenet's team of professional punters at our Pro Tips section. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Shayno: Hello Mitchy. I can't help myself; can never walk past an honour roll. Past Winter Stakes winners that stood out – San Domenico, Nebo Road, All Our Mob. You can go first Mitchy, who will join that list after Saturday?
Mitch: Word is you're on the honour roll at a certain Thai restaurant in Haymarket, Shayno. As for the Winter Stakes, tipping it will be Welwal. He went enormous in that Civic Stakes behind Headley Grange and can go one better here. Wet track has to be a huge plus!
• Darby tons up as the winners keep rolling
Shayno: I am pretty keen on Ruby Flyer. In fact I made him my best bet. I hope it stays nice and wet, heavy would do more without being a bog. He got some very good form at a mile, so 1400m fresh is right up the alley.
Mitch: Good to see a two-year-old race back on the program after a couple of weeks without, albeit there nearly all three now Shayno. I reckon we are going to see a very serious horse step out again – that's Raging Force. Tipping he makes a statement and we see him making his presence felt in races like the Rosebud soon.
Shayno: This is a 'before scratchings' statement; but wow, what a line-up. I should have learned by now that race experience is gold in two-year-old racing, more so on a heavy track but I fancy one of Waller's bluebloods to run well here, namely the Gerry Harvey-bred Portofino.
Mitch: Could we see a Kerry Parker quinella in the Midway? Close Encounter and Equilibrist look to be great chances and they're both double figure odds.
• Pride has eyes on weather for Winter Stakes top seed
Shayno: I feel like you should be writing this one Mitchy. but I have a Kembla quinella for this Midway too. Kerry Parker's Equilibrist is so close to a win and so far as I see it, Noble Soldier's 'best' beats them all.
Mitch: All Kembla content welcome here mate. If we are looking elsewhere, I am really keen on Tarpaulin first run back a gelding. This is a horse that finished a length off the winner in Group 2 company last prep and finds himself in a Benchmark 78 here. The wet track should be no worries for him.
• Sistina's a special but still plenty of intrigue for horse of the year gongs
Shayno: Whatever happens I hope it is no better than a Soft 7 by the last so my longshot of the day, Valimi, wins.
Mitch: As soon as I saw that name in the form guide, I knew you'd be finding it. $71 for the punters. The value for me is Cormac T, race 7. Reckon he bounces back in a big way.
Originally published as Rosehill Turf Talk: Key gear change for Mitch Cohen's best bet on Saturday as Shayne O'Cass takes swing at $71 pop
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Tiny Queensland country town becomes mud-racing capital of Australia
Hidden behind the pub in this tiny Queensland town is one of Australia's finest car-racing tracks. But this track isn't for V8s, motorbikes or even go-karting. It is for mud racing. The small rural town of Kabra, on the outskirts of Rockhampton, has a population of just a few hundred people. Once a year the population doubles when Australia's premier mud-racing event comes to town. Think roaring engines, flying mud and edge-of-your-seat action as modified vehicles go head-to-head through boggy tracks in an all-out race against the clock. "If you can drive it on the trailer at the end of the meeting, you've had a win." The annual Queensland twin-track mud-racing titles attracts racers from all over Australia. Alongside 75-year-old competitor Roger Langley, drivers from the Northern Territory, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland have made the pilgrimage to Kabra. Drivers as young as 10 go head-to-head in a series of runs through challenging conditions on the mud-filled track before a winner is declared. "I started racing in 1995, that's how long ago," Roger explains. It wasn't long before Roger started to carve his name in the sport. "My first car was an XD Falcon station wagon," he said. "We stripped that out, put a roll cage in it and re-built the car for mud racing. "It [mud racing] has just grown and grown over the years, mainly because of the juniors." In the junior category, keen mud racers between 10 and 16 years old hit the track in cars that have modifications like booster seats and pedal extensions. For the Langleys, the sport is a true family activity. At this year's event, Roger will be joined by his son Troy and 11-year-old granddaughter, Allira Weldon, to compete on their home track against the country's best racers. "My brothers and sisters also race and I just enjoy working on cars and building them tough, and obviously racing them, and hopefully [I] don't break it [the car]." Specialised vehicles, often with large tyres and powerful engines, are used to navigate the mud. These can range from modified trucks and ATVs to purpose-built buggies, with some of the top-class machines reaching speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour. Troy said there was a lot of work involved in getting a car ready. "There's a fair bit to it because you are driving through quite deep water and mud sometimes, and a lot of electronics don't like getting wet," he said. "So you've got to waterproof everything pretty well and obviously jack the car up as high as the rules allow to get some ground clearance. Aside from the mechanics of the growing sport, Troy said there was one main objective. And according to race director Marlene Granshaw, there's also one prize every driver wants. "They're coming from all over the place, for not only the bragging rights, but that Queensland champion sticker to put on top of their car."
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
AFL live: Round 17 Essendon vs Gold Coast, Geelong vs Richmond, Brisbane vs Port Adelaide, St Kilda vs Hawthorn
Essendon's season is hanging by a thread, and a finals-chasing Gold Coast presents a significant challenge at Docklands. Then Geelong welcomes Richmond to Kardinia Park, before Brisbane hosts Port Adelaide and St Kilda tackles Hawthorn. Follow the live blog below, keep up to date with all the latest stats in our ScoreCentre, and tune in to our live radio coverage.
ABC News
2 hours ago
- ABC News
Woodchopping competitors in decline but generational sport will 'never die out'
Furlyn Barrett was five years old when he was given his first axe. "We chopped about every little branch and shrub and tree around in the yard," he said. Barrett comes from a long line of axemen — his dad, uncles, and 22 cousins have all been part of the competitive sport. He's also continuing the legacy in his own family, with all four of his children travelling the country competing in woodchopping events at agricultural shows. His daughter Takiah, 24, has represented the Australian women's team and recently won the women's underhand world title championship in Sydney. His son Awatea, 20, last year won the national timbersports rookie championship in Melbourne. Now a veteran of the sport, Barrett, who is based in the tropical Queensland city of Mackay, said he was trying to keep agricultural shows running by sourcing wood for competitions, like those at this weekend's Townsville show. Standing blocks, underhand, tree-felling, and open-sawing events all make up the show's woodchopping schedule, with about 20 axe competitors vying for glory. "Queensland has some very hard wood, so you don't want to be chopping those," Barrett said. "We source woods that are not protected, that have no monetary value at all." Takiah said she wouldn't change anything about her family being involved in woodchopping. "We give each other a bit of competition as well and courage to get through the log," she said. Woodchopping is one of Australia's oldest sports and is a staple of rural shows around the country. Queensland Axemen's Association judge Sue Campbell said while spectator numbers never waned, the number of competitors was decreasing. Ms Campbell said the cost of living could be contributing to a lull in numbers. "It's a very expensive sport," she said. "The axe is worth about $1,000, if not more. "Some of [the competitors] would have 70 of them, 80 of them." Ms Campbell said travel could also be an issue, with competitors required to frequently move to different woodchopping circuits. But she said woodchopping would never truly die out, as competitors often came from families that had been involved in the sport for generations. "We only have one [competitor] that I've known of in the past 10 or 15 years that has come into the sport and had no connection to woodchopping at all," she said. "It's always grandads, or 'My uncle did it'. "Give us another five or six years and we'll have a big influx again of the next generation coming through." Ms Campbell said back injuries were common, alongside the occasional cut. "Some of those logs of hardwood will cut through in 23 seconds, and they're really powering through it," she said. Ms Campbell said some agricultural shows set up woodchopping schools before competitions started to encourage more people to enter the sport. "We're proud of our circuit up here and we're proud of our chopping up here," she said. "It's a fantastic sport and a fantastic community."
