On the Money - 27th August

Matt Rigby | On The Money | Mon 29 August, 2011

Out the Gate:

Ringmeister had a shocker last campaign but on his day is a very good horse. With Harvey in the saddle and first up usually being his best run, the punters didn't want a bar of him. Ringmeister drifted from $4 to $7 without a taker, led and won easily. One thinks he will start under the odds next start as an over correction.

Demimonde had run good races last time in without winning and was backed in pre-post markets from $14 to $7. But the raceday money told an entirely different story. After opening at $6, she got as far as $11 on some books. Once she got out of the pocket, she looked the winner. She ended up paying $12.90 the tote, which was massive overs.

As Cold as Ice:

Command Centre sat wide and was still good enough to get over them at his debut for Dan Morton. This week he drifted heavily from $4 to $4.40 and was very hard to lay. His run was inexplicable, despite sitting wide again, in finishing last.

Searing Heights was having his first run in the state for Mark Reed. He drifted hopelessly from $5.50 to $10 and that was it really. Probably needs further.  

Wide of the Mark:

Nine Tenors killed them in the midweeks but was stepping up substantially in grade on Saturday. Despite this, the punters wanted to be on, backing Jim Taylor's Oratorio filly from $2.20 to $1.80. This represented no value whatsoever. She led and battled in the straight, finishing 5th.

The Good Thing:

On paper, Werd was the special of the day. He took on a moderate field of sprinters at his pet journey. Despite this, he drifted in betting from $1.70 to $1.85 and slightly better off course. When Bike Aaromba dropped off and Werd kicked clear at the top of the straight, the money was in the bank. On a sad note, the demise of Bike Aaromba dulled the victory somewhat for connections. He will probably be noted as the best Purewin to have raced in WA.

Where There's Smoke:

Identity Fraud was hammered at his first race start for Chris Gangemi and started second favourite behind The Weapon. This week, he was specked early from $31 to $18 but drifted out again on race day to $21. His run was good, sitting three wide for most of the trip and battling it out for third.

The Plunge:

Defy Me opened at $4.20 in early markets and was crunched into $3.20. Mike Powell's stayer was further crashed from $3.50 to $2.50 on raceday and knuckled at the start, then over raced, ruining his chances. The swell of support indicates he was ready to win and the bookies will no doubt take care next time out.

Like An Eagle was a $2.70 shot for most of Thursday and Friday. That price slowly went off and the best available on raceday was $2.40. It was a huge go that saw Like an Eagle go to the track a $1.80 chance and the best backed runner of the day. Pike once again hammerd the nail into the coffin with a faultless ride.

The Freak:

Maschino's last run in the midweeks was that of a freak. He was never entitled to win the way he did with the interrupted run he had. Even so, he was going to have to be a good horse to do the same thing in Saturday company. Sure enough, from a seemingly almost impossible position on the turn and with Yuill riding (dangerously) for luck, he won with a leg in the air again. Surprisingly, he was steady throughout at $2.80 without any massive backing.

The Wheels have Fallen Off:

Public Perception was out the gate $5.50 to $10 and ran accordingly. Not a shadow of the horse that won by many lengths back in March.

Yabigorse won the TJ Smith Trophy as a 3yo beating Morant by two lengths. While he has never returned to those lofty heights, before he left for a north west campaign, his form was reasonable. On Saturday, he was beaten more than 10 lengths in running last at a $61 shot.

The Nail in the Coffin:

Great'n'grey was a big result for most bookies at his last two runs where he was narrowly beaten. It was a different story this week as he was plonked from $7 to $5 and looked the winner a long way out.