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Punt to Win |
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1/11/2002 edition Northerly's Cox Plate Sunline, a 7YO mare, finished fourth, over two lengths below Northerly. That was only the fourth time in 48 races that Sunline had failed to finish in the top three. Her strike rate of 32 wins and nine seconds is phenomenal. It is the right time for the champion mare to retire. Fields Of Omagh, who ran second to Northerly in the Caulfield Cup, finished fifth, beaten by nearly seven lengths and never got into the race. Lonhro, who started equal $4.00 favourite with Northerly, had been set for the Cox Plate by trainer John Hawkes. Lonhro missed the start. As far as John Hawkes was concerned that was the race. You don't miss the start of the Cox Plate and then go on to win. It is the jockey's responsibility to keep the horse's mind on the task in hand in the barriers. But did Lonhro get stirred up by the occasion? Should we blame Darren Beadman, Lonhro's jockey, or Lonhro? Lonhro also didn't have the best of runs. Turning out of the straight the 4YO Octagonal horse shifted out slightly to avoid the heels of Grandera, and came into contact on two occasions with Fields Of Omagh. Darren Beadman gave leads of eight to 10 lengths to Sunline and Northerly? Did he expect to catch them over the last 200 metres? Or after missing the start was Lonhro simply run off his legs in the high pressure race which was a sprint home over the last 1000 metres? John Hawkes has been publicly critical of jockey Darren Beadman. We wonder what he thinks now. Bel Esprit continued the poor record of 3YOs in the Cox Plate. When the pressure was turned right on in the race a 1000 from home Bel Esprit folded and finished eighth, beaten by 23 lengths. If connections wanted to try Bel Esprit over 2040 metres then the colt should have run in the $130,000 3YO Group 2 MV Vase held earlier in the day. That race was won by Derby favourite, current boom colt Helenus by less than a length from the Oaks favourite Macedon Lady, with six lengths to the next finisher. Helenus's winning time was 2:08.03 compared to Northerly's winning time of 2:06.27, approximately 10 lengths faster than Helenus, which shows you why Bel Esprit had little chance in the Cox Plate. Ustinov and Assertive Lad made up the numbers, being defeated by 15 lengths and 24 lengths respectively. Bart Cummings trained Ustinov, who should not have been in the race. Media tipsters reminded punters that the Bart Cummings trained Dane Ripper won at bolter's odds. Those same media tipsters did not tell punters that Dane Ripper had an excellent winning strike rate and good form. Ustinov had neither and came into the race with just two wins from 21 starts. Ever effusive and confident Gai Waterhouse kept telling anyone who would listen that Assertive Lad was way over the odds and was a 20/1 chance. Assertive Lad settled last of the nine runners, and that is where he stayed for the duration of the race. Apparently Assertive Lad was meant to have jarred up on the track. But the track was rated Dead in the morning, so it was hardly very firm going. This edition of Punt to Win: Back Tote Longshots?
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