Jockeys right to be questioned

Ken Callandar rates Brendon Avdulla's ride on Koroibete at Randwick as the best of the weekend. Source: MARK EVANS / News Limited

CLEARLY the biggest racing story of the weekend has been the heavy grilling by stewards of ace jockeys Hugh Bowman on Friday night and Glyn Schofield on Saturday over their rides on Fulminate and The Alfonso.

Congratulations to the stipes, they need to ask hard questions and punters need to know the answers. Both horses were hot favourites and, from the stands, both rides did not look great as the horses steamed home from last on the turn to run second.

The inquiry into Bowman's ride on Fulminate has been adjourned to date to be fixed. A reading of the stewards report after detailing the jockey's explanation made it quite clear that trainer David Vandyke was critical of the ride.

Schofield's explanation was accepted after lengthy questioning. If you saw the first race on Saturday, one thing that cannot be argued, is The Alfonso was a good thing beaten.

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The Villiers-Summer Cup double, formerly one of the great features of Sydney racing, has been ruined.

Not many years ago the Summer Cup on Boxing Day always attracted one of Randwick's top five attendances of the year, often as high as number three. This year, with a chopped about race shortened to 2000m, plus a raft of restricted events, it will attract a gathering rather than a crowd.

And the Villiers, by tradition Randwick's third biggest Saturday of the year, was a nothing event on Saturday run a week earlier than it should have been. The Villiers has almost always, in its 120-odd year history, been run on the Saturday before Christmas amid great holiday fanfare. Why the change?

The Championships, listed for next Easter, are a fabulous innovation, but everything else does not have to suffer in Sydney. The Golden Slipper programme has been carved up, the city's best long distance race, the BMW, has had its prizemoney slashed and now the big Summer double, the Villiers and Summer Cup, is no more.

Melbourne is Australia's leading racing city and it has built on its reputation by enhancing ready made great races, not wrecking them.

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If the Villiers did not attract a star studded field it did attract star rides with Peter Robl on Ninth Legion and Kerrin McEvoy on Limes both turning in ace performances.

Another jockey who deserves a pat on the back after the weekend is Jason Collett, who rode a winning treble at Canterbury on Friday night and, although not long out of his apprenticeship, he is making good judges sit up and take notice week after week.

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Do you know in the 1960s when Randwick held between 30-35 meetings a year, the false rail was only put in place about three times a year?

I realise the advantages of the new easy to erect modern aluminium rails and the advantages of having a fresh pad of grass to race on, but, as a punter, I know the problems associated with some rails movements.

I don't think we should race at Rosehill or Canterbury with the rail six metres out. There is too much bias as was shown once again at Canterbury on Friday night. At Rosehill more often than not such a rail placement produces follow the leader races with horses out wide unable to make ground.

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While on tracks, before we go overboard about the new Kensington circuit it should be noted that trainers with the credibility of Joe Pride and Chris Waller are worried about the effects on horses who race on the surface, claiming it could be too hard. If there is a problem it should be looked at quickly.

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The giggle of the week (if it wasn't so serious) is everybody who is trying to distance themselves from Bill Vlahos after the BC3 debacle.

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RIDE OF THE DAY

Brenton Avdulla on Koroibete. A gem and a top notch jockey despite his youth.

RUN OF THE DAY

Ninth Legion. Burnt the candle at both ends and showed a great willingness to win.

FORGET IT RAN

The Alfonso didn't win, but should have.

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