Punt Drunk: Bivouac and Nature Strip back on the track
Punt Drunk racing news – January 28, 2021
After such a frantic day on Tuesday, was it just us or did yesterday’s racing feel a bit shit? We didn’t have a gallops meeting start until 2:20pm AEDT and by then we’d had enough of unloading on the pink rug at The Meadows. Anyway, today is a new day and we go again, punters!
Bring on the Autumn Carnival!
Nature Strip took control on the turn and held off Bivouac to win the opening trial at @rosehillgardens on Wednesday with Dame Giselle in third. Also in the heat were the likes of September Run, Funstar and Montefilia. @tabcomau @cwallerracing @7horseracing pic.twitter.com/ivylaCM3YE
— Racing NSW (@racing_nsw) January 26, 2021
How good was it to see Nature Strip and Bivouac back out on a race track again? Although it was only a trial, the two superstars sprinters blew out the cobwebs in a fine display on Wednesday morning. The money-munching Nature Strip managed to take out the trial, but it was the Godolphin star Bivouac who impressed the most when smoking the pipe just behind the leader. With a bit of luck we will see both line up in the Lightning Stakes next month, and boy, are we ready for that matchup once again!
Speaking of Bivouac… Who would you take?
Relive Classique Legend's EXPLOSIVE ? Everest performance @RoyalRandwick!
We are exactly 4️⃣8️⃣ hours away from his Hong Kong Sprint ? run pic.twitter.com/uJwoL8EKe4
— World Horse Racing (@WHR) December 11, 2020
The Longines World’s Best Racehorse rankings were released yesterday and, in a surprise to many, Classique Legend had some company on top of the Aussie-based gallopers. Bivouac joined him with the third-highest rating in the world, despite the former boasting a two-and-a-half length victory over the Godolphin gun in The Everest when they last met. It makes you wonder how seriously we can take these sorts of rankings, but it has got us thinking: who would you take? Classique Legend is an out-and-out star in Sydney (yeah, we said it), but Bivouac eats up the Flemington straight (and let’s be honest, that’s a bit more impressive). So if we forced you to choose one horse, who would it be? Let us know on social media with our #puntdrunk hashtag.
Five strikes and that’s it!
Racing Victoria wishes to advise that the upcoming Country Mile Race Series will now be used to trial the limited use of the whip in races. https://t.co/b7U8QfkdEl
— Racing Victoria (@RacingInsider) January 27, 2021
Following recent debate in regards to the whip rules, Racing Victoria has made the decision to limit the use of the persuader to just five times in a single race during the newly created Country Mile series. If jockeys are found to have struck their galloper more than five times in a race, they risk having their entire prize money taken off them in one go. The current rules in Victoria state that jockeys can strike their runners five times prior to the 500m mark and then it is at their discretion from the 100m to the winning post. This will be a crucial scientific exercise to see how much the persuader actually increases a horse’s chance of winning.
Thursday’s Racing Tips – January 28, 2021
Punt Drunk’s Best Bet of the Day
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…
