It's been a tough week for the abbreviation-happy sub-editor (see last week's column). Not only did he and I put the mockers on Atlantic Jewel as she was headed by It's A Dundeel in the Underwood Stakes, but Oracle finished off the America's Cup like Rough Habit in the 1992 Stradbroke Handicap to rub salt into the subbie's various wounds
.. . . have final say
Let's not rule Atlantic Jewel out of the Cox Plate just yet, though. She's won over more ground than the Cox Plate distance of 2040m before, and jockey Michael Rodd was careful not to rip the heart out of her in the Underwood. She may have also been feeling the effects of three runs in three weeks after 17 months off. She'll be back.
Terror or a christening?
If you needed reminding the New Zealand Trotting Cup was just around the corner, tonight is a big giant neon sign saying as much. Terror To Love and Christen Me have both been given quiet runs at the trials before tonight's Avon City Ford (New Brighton) Cup and they won't be completely screwed down, but they're the kind of horses who send shivers down your spine as the field turns into the straight for the final time at Addington.
Racing to win . . .
If you're short of something to do tonight and you have a knack for a mixture of racing and general trivia, head along to the Winning Post Lounge at Wingatui, where the Otago Racing Club is hosting the Otago Racing Awards. The ''pub quiz'' will be running in conjunction with the awards for $25 per person, but just give the club a quick call. It kicks off at 6pm.
. . . tonight and tomorrow
It's an unfortunate clash between tomorrow's meeting at Wingatui and the Otago v Southland ITM Cup match. But Wingatui is definitely worth a look, especially as you work through the field in the last race on the card, where some of Otago's best gallopers - The Solitaire, The Glitzy One, Anzac Star and Chapel Star - take on a tidy sprint field. The placement of one of the best races on the day as the last race was deliberate, Otago Racing Club chief executive Andre Klein tells me, and it's a trend which is gaining popularity, particularly in Australia, where the racing industry is trying to play the game with free-to-air TV networks. Of course, for clubs trying to get punters to stay on course, it has the advantage of keeping the paying public there until the end of the meeting.
Lazy Fiver
Hello again, fifth placing. Quintessential was just not quite there on Saturday. Good draw for Extremelea in race 4 at 2.45pm at Ascot Park this afternoon. Get on (he says, holding his breath).
