Jockey Danny Nikolic is in trouble by acting on legal advice and refusing to hand over his mobile phone to stewards during the enquiry into a group of his rides. The jockey has provided full phone records. Press reports are saying Betfair have provided betting trends to Victorian stewards on horses who were heavily backed to lose. We have been waiting for something like this to happen ever since Betfair was licensed to operate in Australia. United Kingdom racing was brought to its knees a few years ago after revelations that big punters and jockeys were laying horses to lose on Betfair and hooking them. Not for one moment are we suggesting Danny has done anything wrong, (although there is no doubt he will be fined for having a mobile in the jockeys’ room), but even if stewards find there is no case to answer some of the mud thrown will stick. His mounts were trained by some of the country’s leading trainers who had no complaint with the rides but will an owner want to put him on?
Not only is it a sad day for Danny, but it’s a worrying time for the whole image of the sport.
Local trainer Dave McEwan has appealed against the severity of the six month suspension following his pleading guilty on two charges of producing a horse to race with a prohibited substance. He has been granted a stay of proceedings. This decision allowed him to start Coassante at Moree’s Cotton Cup meeting last Saturday. A top ride by Adam Woods saw him get Coassante over from a wide barrier mid-race but was snookered on the fence behind the leaders as they straightened.
Bookmakers cheered when the 33/1 pop was pushed through a needle eye opening in the shadows of the post and nailed the favourite Selkrig right on the line.
Adam made it a double aboard another Goondiwindi runner, Thomas Popp’s Bigger Than, in the Benchmark 45. This promising horse had scored at Coonabarabran the previous week. He was forced very wide on the turn but came with a storming run to grab the well-backed Riviera Moss and get the judges’ nod by a nostril. The time was a class record, so trainer Thomas should be making another visit to the winner’s circle in the near future.
In Roma popular Goondiwindi jockey Scotty Sweedman rode the first three winners on the five-event card. His many friends in the district were tickled pink.
A woman was sitting at a bar enjoying a drink with girlfriends after work when an extremely handsome man walked into the bar. He was so striking the woman could not take her eyes off him. The man noticed her attentive stare and walked directly toward her. Before she could offer her apologies for being so rude he leaned over and whispered to her “I’ll do anything, absolutely anything that you want me to do,no matter how kinky for $20 on one condition.”
Flabbergasted the woman asked what the condition was. The man replied, “You have to tell me what you want me to do in just three words.”
The woman considered his proposition for a moment then slowly removed a $20 note from her purse, which she pressed into the man’s hand along with her address. She looked deeply into his eyes and purred, “Clean my house.”
The Gunsynd Park meeting on March 20 will be the 12 month anniversary of the turf track. “It’s been a lot of work,” President Michael Watt said “But it has all been worth while. Patrons can now enjoy the facilities of one of Queensland’s most picturesque country tracks.”
As well as making down March 20, you should take a large felt pen and pencil in April 10 for a great day at Talwood and the following Saturday April 17 is the biggest social day of the district - The Picnics.You just have to be seen there.
Great to see greed ignored for a change. Connections of the Peter Moody trained Typhoon Tracey took on board Peter’s advice that whilst the mare should perform well if she went overseas if they decided to stay in Australia there were plenty of big money races. She looks unbeatable in the fillies’ and mares’ races and has won both WFA races she has contested with one leg in the air. To go overseas she would have to be vaccinated then endure the flight and hopefully acclimatise.
It will be interesting to see how All Silent performs in the Newmarket. On his form before he went to Hong Kong he would have been unbeatable down the straight six at Flemington. Of the horses who went, he is the only one that will race this Autumn. We can never understand taking a horse out of the country, with all the associated risks when there is huge prize money available in Australia.
“It’s just too hot to wear clothes today,” Rather Rotund Resident of Baker Street says as he steps out of the shower. “Honey bun what do you think the neighbours would think if I mowed the lawn like this?”
She replied “Probably that I married you for your money.”
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