Punt Drunk: All set for standard Sydney deluge on Slipper Day
Punt Drunk Daily – March 19, 2021
Not only is it Friday, but we have Group 1 racing at Moonee Valley tonight with the William Reid Stakes. Can September Run bounce back from a poor performance in the Newmarket Handicap? Can Libertini pick up his maiden Group 1 success? Or can the old boy Hey Doc wind back the clock and snare yet another Group 1 at The Valley? All that and much, much more throughout a wicked Friday on the punt.
Get ready for a slippery Saturday in Sydney
THROWBACK THURSDAY – Mossfun was an incredible run to win the 2014 Golden Slipper on a heavy track. Could this brilliant @mcacajamez ride give @blake_shinn some food for thought from the wide gate on Yes Yes Yes this Saturday? pic.twitter.com/OvdSTEqhvK
— Sky Racing (@SkyRacingAU) March 21, 2019
Imagine this: a massive sporting occasion in Sydney and it is going to absolutely piss down with rain. We have been here before, haven’t we? Whether it is Golden Slipper Day in years gone by, or wet Everest meetings, or even the New Year’s Test match at the SCG – if it is a big sporting event, you can bet the heavens will open up. According to Jane Bunn, there could be between 50mm to 100mm on Slipper Day, which has left Racing NSW stewards absolute shitting themselves. We have had plenty of Slippers run and won in the wet; Time To Reign was a memorable winner in 2015, as was Mossfun the year prior when sticking to the rails as every other runner swamped to the outside. Rain, hail, or shine, we can promise you we will be loading up for this year’s Golden Slipper.
Farnan off to the paddock for good
FARNAN WINS THE GOLDEN SLIPPER@GaiWaterhouse1 makes history winning her seventh. pic.twitter.com/8MUzA0dqTY
— 7HorseRacing ? (@7horseracing) March 21, 2020
We will not be seeing Farnan on a racetrack again, after connections pulled the pin on his racing career. The 2020 Golden Slipper winner’s future will be in the breeding barn at Kira Ora stud, with his stud fee still to be announced. It is easy to forget how good Farnan was as a two-year-old due to how poor his three-year-old campaign was. But when you only lose once in six starts as a juvenile, you gain the respect of the entire racing world. Give it a couple of seasons and you never know, Gai Waterhouse could make an outlandish statement about Farnan’s progeny…
Russian Camelot, we hardly knew ye
Back to happier times when Russian Camelot won the Underwood Stakes…pic.twitter.com/P7frTCyWvX
— 7HorseRacing ? (@7horseracing) March 18, 2021
We have taken the absolute Michael out of Russian Camelot in the past, but he is another runner we will never get to see on the racetrack again. During his massive display in the All Star Mile, the runner-up suffered a severe tendon injury that will prevent him from racing again. Without a doubt, this bloke will be massive for the industry in the breeding barn, but for now it is farewell to the big Russian.
Friday racing tips – March 19, 2021
Featured races
Punt Drunk’s best bet of the day
Chica Fuerte was massive in defeat in the Kewney Stakes at Flemington a fortnight ago when splitting Starelle and Personal. The Anthony Freedman-trained filly is clearly the class runner in the Alexandra Stakes field and looks too good for her rivals to hold out. With plenty of unknowns going around, we are happy to be with the one that has the runs on the board.
About Punt Drunk
Welcome to Punt Drunk! Our new daily column covering all the latest horse racing and punting controversies, dramas and headline news. Have a story or gripe or issue that just grinds your gears? Just hit us up in the comments or contact us page and our jaded, punt hardened Punt Drunk staff will give it the Punt Drunk treatment it deserves. Don’t expect pleasantries or typical racing media fanboy gloss from Punt Drunk – we’re on the punt and we don’t have time to bullshit; the next is about to jump…
