Finals day at Flemington always throws up a big card of competitive handicaps and things are no different this year with eight hotly contested off-season series culminating at headquarters this Saturday.
Photo by Racing and Sports
The concept is a smart one and is well set up to generate interest in the off season, though, it could be even more successful if finals day came with a true sense of finality.
Champion jockey and trainer honours kick on for a handful of low key meetings between now and the end of the season but perhaps more could be made of this by bringing the season to a close on a ‘feature day’.
With the season officially over on finals day July could be used as a month to rejuvenate premier tracks and attempt to build up interest in the jumps, which continue to go from strength to strength this season, and a short 4-6 week synthetic season.
Incentives for champion trainer, jockey and horses of the synthetic season would surely raise interest and it again leads to the chance for a day of finals before the Bletchingly meeting at Caulfield sends us back to the big smoke and back into a new season, freshened up and ready to rumble into the spring.
The highlight on this Saturday’s card, particularly from a punters perspective, is the Victorian Sprint Final where the South Australian’s play a strong card with Riziz.
Riziz was a touch disappointing in four starts over the summer but he has returned to form this time in, winning at Oakbank fresh before peak performances in the Goodwood, form which has since held up well, and then last time winning the Golden Topaz at Swan Hill.
It is also well worth noting that his lone other Flemington appearance saw him impressively come away with the listed Creswick Stakes, beating useful gallopers Zamorar and Lady Melksham.
On that form he is weighted to win today. He has the measure of Dee Bee Nine based on runs at Oakbank and last time at Swan Hill and he was able to win the other key lead up to this at the Valley last time.
[/n]Sea Lord[/n] and Mr Make Believe were both disappointing at the Valley but both are expected to bounce back towards their true form today.
Mr Make Believe reportedly choked down there and will carry a tongue tie today. He was a good winner first up and it is on that form that he is best judged.
That has him rated as a genuine threat to Riziz, though the latter is seen as having more upside.
Sea Lord has always been a good talent but has really started to put it together since joining current trainer Stephen Brown.
He is four times a winner under Brown with the highlight a win at Group 2 level in the Australia Stakes.
Granted that was a below par renewal of that race but it is still form that leaps off the page here.
He does pay for that at the weights, however, and has now set the bar nice and high for himself, but he is not one to be dismissed lightly.
A slight query with him might be the straight track with his best form having come around the tight turning Moonee Valley.
He was below his form at his lone run down the straight here back in the spring not always looking entirely comfortable.
One who has always looked comfortable on a straight track is Perturbo and he is capable of measuring up here on his best form.
In-fact he has won this race before, and with more weight, but therein lays the problem.
That was back in 2011 and now some 2 years on he is still in search of that elusive next win making him a mighty hard horse to be following with confidence.
Confidence instead lies with Riziz who can come out a winner on finals day and then, as the top off-season sprinter, take aim at the spring and next season’s riches.
