State of Origin finally returned to its roots after a poor season of football so far with the players actually showing some passion in Queensland's game 3 16-10 victory. If 2 out of 3 state of origin games were like that, the casual observer will begin to show interest in buying tickets again.
The NSW team lacked penetration at in the attacking quarter and this was the difference between 2 teams and I think this was down to Mitchell Pearce. The rating of 7 given by Sydney Morning Herald was laughable considering the forwards had their best game of the series yet NSW could still not win. Buderus and Gidley were the 2 best players on the ground along with Ben Cross for NSW. Jonathon Thurston had one good run that set up the winning try and 2 lucky kicks.
Tony Archer ruined NSW' chances of coming back with his forward pass call. The referee really is becoming an issue for the NRL to deal with.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
2008 Tour de France
Since 2004, the Tour de France has been one of the most enjoyable sporting events to watch for its annual 3 week exhibition. The perception of cycling as a boring sport given it takes 5 hours to complete a stage and nothing happens on most of the flat stages until the last 10km's does not hold when you actually sit down and watch it.
The tactics within professional cycling are highly nuanced and it takes the skill of the great cycling broadcaster Phil Liggett to make the Tour. Pay attention to all that he says and you will begin to put into perspective the behavior of each of the riders and teams. The other thing that makes the tour is the pain that you know each rider must be going through, even on the flat stages.
In this years tour Australia has the favorite for the first time in tour history. Cadel Evans became a national sporting icon in the 2007 tour but I don't feel confidnt for his chances in this years tour. Last year he was tacked on to the superior leading pair of Alberto Contador, and Michael Rasmussen right through the mountains. Cadel proved he is one of the great chasers of all time but at no stage did he look capable of putting away any climbers. The result is that this year without those 2, the filed will come up to Cadel in the mountains and less he is willing to take more risks. I do not think he is capable of performing a solo breakaway. As a result looking through the other climbers will find this years winner and the first place to look is Juan Mauricio Hernandez Soler, last years King of the Mountain.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Tiger Woods & Bet of the week
Tiger Woods will go on and beat Jack Nickolaus record of 18 major victories based on his performance in the US Open Monday. Woods shot an even par round of 71 before winning in sudden death at the 91st hole of a weekend spent struggling around the golf course and through his golf swing. To achieve this feat shows that Tiger is almost indefatigable. Next year the US Open returns to Bethpage and in 2010 Pebble Beach, the home of Tiger's first 2 dominant US Open Wins. Further, the British Open in 2010 will also be at St Andrews where Tiger is undefeated at 2 attempts. Then there is 2 trips to the Masters and the PGA. It appears unlikely Woods will make this years British Open with some much needed R&R on the knee with the British Open in only 5 weeks. Throw in 3 PGA's and I believe Tiger will reach 19 majors before the end of 2010.
The current bet of the week is to take Sweden on betfair at $44 to win Euro 2008. Sweden need only a draw to get into the last 8 and are paying $1.55 to achieve at least this result. Russia meanwhile can only qualify if they win (Paying $2.40) yet are at $46 for the overall tournament. This indicates nominal odds should Sweden win of $28 which is unlikely to be available if that occurs. My advice therefore is to back Sweden at $46, lay the $1.54-$1.57 on Sweden qualifying for the same amount (offsetting all risk) and then lay-off the bet on the $44 at what should be much lower odds of around $21 rather than the nominal $28 if Sweden does win.
The current bet of the week is to take Sweden on betfair at $44 to win Euro 2008. Sweden need only a draw to get into the last 8 and are paying $1.55 to achieve at least this result. Russia meanwhile can only qualify if they win (Paying $2.40) yet are at $46 for the overall tournament. This indicates nominal odds should Sweden win of $28 which is unlikely to be available if that occurs. My advice therefore is to back Sweden at $46, lay the $1.54-$1.57 on Sweden qualifying for the same amount (offsetting all risk) and then lay-off the bet on the $44 at what should be much lower odds of around $21 rather than the nominal $28 if Sweden does win.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Super Tiger
Tiger Woods again showed why he the greatest clutch golfer in history with a sensational birdie putt on 18 ensuring he forces an 18 hole play off with the likable Rocco Mediate. Tiger is the ultimate entertainment machine. He may hit the occasional bad shot under pressure but he is always there in the finish with the clutch shot or the clutch putt.
Rocco Mediate played the round of his life on Sunday and I doubt he will be able to back it up two days in a row though he was entirely relaxed. It appeared he had given permission for NBC to record his conversations with caddy resulting in a great insight to the mind of a pro golfer.
3rd Round
4th Round
It is to be expected there will be a record crowd at today's play-off, effectively the most important single match in Tiger's career. All of the previous made for TV specials have drawn large crowds so imagine what we can expect with 2 such likable characters today. Tiger is 15-2 in play-offs, a record as formidable as any the game has seen. An 18 hole play-off should be made for prime time TV though, not for a local start time of 9am.
Rocco Mediate played the round of his life on Sunday and I doubt he will be able to back it up two days in a row though he was entirely relaxed. It appeared he had given permission for NBC to record his conversations with caddy resulting in a great insight to the mind of a pro golfer.
3rd Round
4th Round
It is to be expected there will be a record crowd at today's play-off, effectively the most important single match in Tiger's career. All of the previous made for TV specials have drawn large crowds so imagine what we can expect with 2 such likable characters today. Tiger is 15-2 in play-offs, a record as formidable as any the game has seen. An 18 hole play-off should be made for prime time TV though, not for a local start time of 9am.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
State of Origin and The NRL
It is time for a complete restructure of the NRL season. The farce that was the previous round of the NRL needs to be stamped out of a competition already struggling to put bums on seats and money in players pockets.
One of the first steps that needs to be undertaken is to return the competition to 22 rounds. As with the EPL's 39th game debacle, the NRL's expansion to 26 rounds has lead to complacency within clubs who are now willing to sell games to the highest bidder rather than catering to fans. The NRL is currently in a mid-season slump, the season has been going for 13 weeks but with all of the controversy it feels like an eternity. There is another 4 weeks until state of origin finishes the point at which all NRL clubs can focus on the run to the finals series. Until the run to the finals series most NRL fans are simply interested in their team surviving. This does not generate enough interest to help the code.
So what is the key alternative? First of all the season needs to be reduced back to 22 rounds. The next decision is whether to use split rounds or full bye rounds for state of origin. I would structure the season something like this.
Rounds 1-6
Mid-week International
Round 7-10
Bye Weekend (Friday Night State of Origin 1 - Wednesday Night State of Origin 2)
Round 11-12
Bye Weekend (State of Origin 3 - The Decider)
Round 13-22
This format leaves a 10 week uninterrupted run to the finals, only 2 bye weekends for all teams and the season being shortened by 2 weeks means that interest won't be lost in the mid-season lull. Every game will become that much more important. This will also shorten the season by 2 weeks allowing players an extended off-season.
Another feature of the 22 week season is the sporting integrity of the competition can be improved with a split into 4 divisions. American sport knows how to best implement this sort of structure and in the NRL it could be best worked with a split based on rivalries
Sydney East
St George
South Sydney
Sydney Roosters
Cronulla
Sydney West
Wests Tigers
Penrith
Parramatta
Canterbury
Queensland Division
Brisbane
Gold Coast
North Queensland
Melbourne (given their feeder clubs are in Brisbane)
Other
Manly
Newcastle
Canberra
New Zealand
Similar to the NFL, teams would play their own division opponents twice every year, play each other team once and on a 3 year cycle play teams from another division twice. Rather than a top 8, The winner of each division would qualify for the finals with the next best 4 teams making up the top 8. The finals would be played as they currently are under the McIntyre system. This system is quite similar to the seeded system used by the NRL through most of the last 20 years at least until 2 years ago when it was decided to structure the draw around rivalries. This system again uses rivalries as the basis for creating the draw but goes one step further in ensuring 1 team from each rivalry group is ensured a finals position. Further each team would play 22 games. If a Sydney club were to be forced to relocate to Central Coast they would swap with Manly who are rivals with almost all Sydney clubs.
Another set of rules that should be adopted are the pre-season rules which prevent organised training before certain dates. This would be as compensation to players in return for a reduction or long-term freeze in the salary cap. The recent rises to $4m have become unsustainable with the changes to NSW tax laws and anti-smoking legislation. In addition the reduction of 1 game may cost clubs additional revenue. It also appears ANZ Stadium at Homebush may be no longer willing to subsidise clubs. All of these will put long term pressure on clubs until the next NRL TV deal can be negotiated. As a result players should be compensated in other ways. The NRL also needs to increase its grants to clubs which are struggling. Training should be banned until at least November ensuring all players (except internationals who can be financially compensated seperately) get at least one month off plus all clubs should be forced to have 3 weeks off at Christmas.
One of the first steps that needs to be undertaken is to return the competition to 22 rounds. As with the EPL's 39th game debacle, the NRL's expansion to 26 rounds has lead to complacency within clubs who are now willing to sell games to the highest bidder rather than catering to fans. The NRL is currently in a mid-season slump, the season has been going for 13 weeks but with all of the controversy it feels like an eternity. There is another 4 weeks until state of origin finishes the point at which all NRL clubs can focus on the run to the finals series. Until the run to the finals series most NRL fans are simply interested in their team surviving. This does not generate enough interest to help the code.
So what is the key alternative? First of all the season needs to be reduced back to 22 rounds. The next decision is whether to use split rounds or full bye rounds for state of origin. I would structure the season something like this.
Rounds 1-6
Mid-week International
Round 7-10
Bye Weekend (Friday Night State of Origin 1 - Wednesday Night State of Origin 2)
Round 11-12
Bye Weekend (State of Origin 3 - The Decider)
Round 13-22
This format leaves a 10 week uninterrupted run to the finals, only 2 bye weekends for all teams and the season being shortened by 2 weeks means that interest won't be lost in the mid-season lull. Every game will become that much more important. This will also shorten the season by 2 weeks allowing players an extended off-season.
Another feature of the 22 week season is the sporting integrity of the competition can be improved with a split into 4 divisions. American sport knows how to best implement this sort of structure and in the NRL it could be best worked with a split based on rivalries
Sydney East
St George
South Sydney
Sydney Roosters
Cronulla
Sydney West
Wests Tigers
Penrith
Parramatta
Canterbury
Queensland Division
Brisbane
Gold Coast
North Queensland
Melbourne (given their feeder clubs are in Brisbane)
Other
Manly
Newcastle
Canberra
New Zealand
Similar to the NFL, teams would play their own division opponents twice every year, play each other team once and on a 3 year cycle play teams from another division twice. Rather than a top 8, The winner of each division would qualify for the finals with the next best 4 teams making up the top 8. The finals would be played as they currently are under the McIntyre system. This system is quite similar to the seeded system used by the NRL through most of the last 20 years at least until 2 years ago when it was decided to structure the draw around rivalries. This system again uses rivalries as the basis for creating the draw but goes one step further in ensuring 1 team from each rivalry group is ensured a finals position. Further each team would play 22 games. If a Sydney club were to be forced to relocate to Central Coast they would swap with Manly who are rivals with almost all Sydney clubs.
Another set of rules that should be adopted are the pre-season rules which prevent organised training before certain dates. This would be as compensation to players in return for a reduction or long-term freeze in the salary cap. The recent rises to $4m have become unsustainable with the changes to NSW tax laws and anti-smoking legislation. In addition the reduction of 1 game may cost clubs additional revenue. It also appears ANZ Stadium at Homebush may be no longer willing to subsidise clubs. All of these will put long term pressure on clubs until the next NRL TV deal can be negotiated. As a result players should be compensated in other ways. The NRL also needs to increase its grants to clubs which are struggling. Training should be banned until at least November ensuring all players (except internationals who can be financially compensated seperately) get at least one month off plus all clubs should be forced to have 3 weeks off at Christmas.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Socceroos Down Again
A disappointing 1-0 loss to the Socceroos in Dubai sees the threat of early elimination from the World Cup increase markedly. Again Australia showed an inability to handle the extreme conditions found in Asia an issue that is likely to prove concerning now that we are permanently entrenched there. The predictable weather of China, Japan and Korea is rarely found elsewhere on the continent with either humid warm weather found in most of the south-east or extreme heat and some humidity in the central and west Asia. A look at the likely qualifiers for the 2nd stage of qualifying shows that 3 of our potential opponents will come from the east (Nth Korea/Sth Korea/Japan), 5 from the west (Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, Qatar, Bahrain) and Uzbekistan from the Central Asian steps (much cooler conditions). Bahrain remains the only team from West Asia the Socceroos have beaten away.
One of the key problems for the Socceroos seems to be an inability to score early in their games. In oppressive conditions an early lead can provide a major psychological boost but only against Qatar in the 1st rd have the Socceroos managed an early goal. This is a result I believe of negative tactics being employed by the current manager Pim Verbeek and a lack of preparation under Graham Arnold. Playing Harry Kewell one out at striker after 2 games in 3 months is not an effective way of employing the resources available. Scott Macdonald has looked threatening without creating any great chances in the previous 2 matches but I believe that eventually Scotty Mac will breakthrough and become a regular scorer at international level.
Jason Culina had one of his best games for the Socceroos in Dubai. He excelled in the conditions along with Brett Holman, not stopping at any stage and playing a part in most of the chances created by the Aussies. Attack is clearly our best strength so we need to play to that strength in the coming qualifiers. A draw with Qatar will all but guarantee qualification but we need to go out with a winning attitude to ensure the best result.
On a side note, Luke Wilkshire should be immediately barred from taking set pieces. I am yet to see him get a free kick on target across the 5 or 6 games he has been designated as set piece taker. The suspension of Grella could be a blessing as his light fram does not appear to handle the oppressive conditions and he will be the freshest player for the Chinese game in Sydney June 22.
My preferred squad (subs in brackets) would be:
Schwarzer
Wilkshire, Neill (North), Beauchamp, Carney
Emerton, Valeri (Carle), Culina, Kewell
Kennedy (Djite), Macdonald
In-Out
Kennedy - Coyne
Neill - North
Macdonald - Grella
One of the key problems for the Socceroos seems to be an inability to score early in their games. In oppressive conditions an early lead can provide a major psychological boost but only against Qatar in the 1st rd have the Socceroos managed an early goal. This is a result I believe of negative tactics being employed by the current manager Pim Verbeek and a lack of preparation under Graham Arnold. Playing Harry Kewell one out at striker after 2 games in 3 months is not an effective way of employing the resources available. Scott Macdonald has looked threatening without creating any great chances in the previous 2 matches but I believe that eventually Scotty Mac will breakthrough and become a regular scorer at international level.
Jason Culina had one of his best games for the Socceroos in Dubai. He excelled in the conditions along with Brett Holman, not stopping at any stage and playing a part in most of the chances created by the Aussies. Attack is clearly our best strength so we need to play to that strength in the coming qualifiers. A draw with Qatar will all but guarantee qualification but we need to go out with a winning attitude to ensure the best result.
On a side note, Luke Wilkshire should be immediately barred from taking set pieces. I am yet to see him get a free kick on target across the 5 or 6 games he has been designated as set piece taker. The suspension of Grella could be a blessing as his light fram does not appear to handle the oppressive conditions and he will be the freshest player for the Chinese game in Sydney June 22.
My preferred squad (subs in brackets) would be:
Schwarzer
Wilkshire, Neill (North), Beauchamp, Carney
Emerton, Valeri (Carle), Culina, Kewell
Kennedy (Djite), Macdonald
In-Out
Kennedy - Coyne
Neill - North
Macdonald - Grella
Nadal's French Open Domination
The end of the Roger Federer era is nigh. Rafael Nadal's complete humiliation of Roger Federer tonight (6-1 6-3 6-0) leaves Federer at his lowest point in 5 years. Nadal delivered an exhibition of unbeatable tennis that will double up on the psychological impact of Federer's slow start to the year. A victory at the Estoril Open in Portugal (7-6 1-2 walkover) is the only success found so far and going into Wimbledon with only one more tournament under his belt Rafael would have to be the bet of the year so far if his odds are anything over $2.50 for the fortnight.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Socceroos Middle East Adventure
The Socceroos begin their middle east qualifying campaign tonight in the oppressive heat of Dubai. Conditions are expected to be in the high 30's for the 8p kick-off. Our previous experience in the Middle East does not bode well with a 2-0 loss to Kuwait and a 3-1 victory over Bahrain where we were clearly outplayed for the whole of the first half.
The game is on at 2am AEST but dedicated fans will be seen all over the country. The middle east will become a key qualifying ground in the 2nd stages where we are likely to face at least 2 middle eastern teams out of our 4 opponents.
Elsewhere in Asian qualifying there are some key games tonight for Iran and China. Iran is sitting in 3rd and have a must win game also in Dubai against the UAE. UAE grabbed a 0-0 draw at the famous Azadi Stadium last week leaving Iran languishing in 3rd place 2 points off qualification with Syria drawn to play Kuwait who they beat last week.
China are struggling in 3rd, 1 point behind Qatar who they meet in Tianjin. The Chinese tactics can best described as cynical up to this stage in qualifying including playing a 6-3-1 in Doha last week. A loss will put them 4 points behind with only 2 games to go, a position from which recovery is unlikely. This would not be the build up to the Beijing Olympics the Chinese will be looking for.
The game is on at 2am AEST but dedicated fans will be seen all over the country. The middle east will become a key qualifying ground in the 2nd stages where we are likely to face at least 2 middle eastern teams out of our 4 opponents.
Elsewhere in Asian qualifying there are some key games tonight for Iran and China. Iran is sitting in 3rd and have a must win game also in Dubai against the UAE. UAE grabbed a 0-0 draw at the famous Azadi Stadium last week leaving Iran languishing in 3rd place 2 points off qualification with Syria drawn to play Kuwait who they beat last week.
China are struggling in 3rd, 1 point behind Qatar who they meet in Tianjin. The Chinese tactics can best described as cynical up to this stage in qualifying including playing a 6-3-1 in Doha last week. A loss will put them 4 points behind with only 2 games to go, a position from which recovery is unlikely. This would not be the build up to the Beijing Olympics the Chinese will be looking for.
Friday, June 6, 2008
Sydney Autumn Carnival Future
In correspondence received from the AJC this week it was mentioned that the club is still in the process of reviewing the 2008 Carnival to determine whether the carnival should retain its format for the current year.
This years carnival was a success but it did however have its weak points. Those weak points were the Ranvet Stakes Day at Canterbury and Sydney Cup Day at which a shocking crowd turned out compared to recent years. The Easter Saturday Chipping Norton Stakes meeting was a highlight for me due to the massively increased crowd and should hopefully have provided the income needed to make up on the disappointing turnout on the other days.
So where to now for the AJC? The first issue it needs to address is the cost of entry at these meetings. For the last 3 years the AJC has priced its 3 premier meetings at $35-$39 (Epsom Day, Derby Day, Sydney Cup Day). In the Sydney market these prices are way too high and will be punished by the consumer regardless of the prices being similar to the Melbourne . Dwindling crowds are definitely showing this. The first step is to reduce and heavily advertise a price under $30 next year. The Sydney sporting public has an aversion (usually showing up after 2 years at the price point) to events where the cheapest entry price is over $30. Examples of this are NSW Waratahs (Increased to $34 in 2005, sold out only one game since including 2 semi-finals) and Wallabies 2nd string test matches. Over this point the market the AJC is targetting can go to a decent nightclub costing $20 for the same dress standards and looser alcohol licensing. Another issue is that next years lawn party will not sell out due to the licensing restrictions imposed this year. This will cost the AJC significant revenue.
The 2nd issue to take account of is scheduling. This years carnival was almost perfect in the overall scheme of the Australian racing calendar. The Adelaide carnival slotted in nicely attracting some of the best Melbourne horses in years and horses were able to come out of the Adelaide races into the end of the Sydney Carnival. Further horses such as Apache Cat were able to run a double peak, hitting the ground running in Melbourne, spelling, then coming back into work for the end of the Sydney carnival and heading on to Brisbane.
Some of the changes that should come out of this years carnival should be:
*Move the Sydney Carnival forward a week. 2 weeks between the Australian Cup and Chipping Norton meeting resulted in a dead Saturday meeting at Rosehill (albeit with a strong Golden Rose field) that semi-killed the momentum. Additionally, finishing the carnival in May results in weather not suitable for the fashionistas. A bonus of this would result from ANZAC Day falling in the middle of the AJC carnival (or at least a public holiday Monday the following week.)
*Move the Adelaide carnival forward 1 week to ensure the same time scheme of races between Sydney and Adelaide
* Re-schedule the events on the AJC Carnival including the creation of a new day at Warwick Farm the week after the Hawkesbury meeting. The following schedule should be applied.
First Saturday -AJC Derby Day
1. AJC Derby
2. All Aged Stakes
ANZAC DAY (Or Public holiday Monday associated with ANZAC Day)
1. Sydney Cup
2. TJ Smith Stakes
2nd Saturday (Doncaster Day) - Ladies Day used as promotion
1. Doncaster Handicap
2. AJC Oaks
3. AJC Sires Produce (2nd leg 2YO triple crown)
Hawkesbury Stand Alone Meeting
Saturday Stayers Day - To be held as a family day at Warwick Farm following the carnival
1. Queen Elizabeth (2 weeks before Doomben Cup, allows horses from BMW, Doncaster, Derby and Oaks to race fresh) WFA Grand Final as such
2. Champagne Stakes (allows 2 week breaks in 2yo triple crown)
3. AJC St Leger (Re-create this race at 2800m for 3yo's to qualify for Melbourne Cup)
4. AJC Plate (Re-create historic 3600m staying race for horses backing up from Sydney Cup with no Brisbane Cup in future, gimmick race)
5. Provincial Stayers Championship Final
6. Create a country stayers Championship Final
7. Create a 2400m handicap race (Warwick Farm Cup) for open class city horses.
Ranvet Stakes Day will return to Rosehill this year most likely boosting the crowd again for the first day of the Golden Slipper Carnival. One of the successes of this year was the field attracted to the Golden Rose. An increase in prizemoney to the Hobartville can probably be justified next year when it returns to its rightful date 2 weeks before the Randwick Guineas.
On both a national basis and for the strength of the early stages of the Sydney Carnival locking the dates in to a fixed position will provide the AJC and STC with the best opportunities for optimising each day of the carnival.
Example 2009 schedule (2010/2011/2012) in brackets
Saturday 7 March - Australian Cup Day, Flemington (6/3-12/3-10/3)
Saturday 14 March - Chipping Norton Stakes Day
Saturday 21 March - Randwick Guineas Day - Schweppes Oaks/Robert Sangster
Saturday 28 March - Coolmore Classic Day (Golden Slipper Carnival Ladies Day)
Saturday 4 April - Rosehill Guineas Day (Road to The Slipper Final Day)-SA Oaks/SA Derby/Goodwood
Saturday 11 April - Golden Slipper Day (Easter Saturday)
Monday 13 April - Galaxy Day at Warwick Farm (Easter Monday)
Saturday 18 April - AJC Derby Day (17/4-23/4-21/4)
Saturday 25 April - Doncaster Ladies Day (24/4-30/4-28/4)
Monday 27 April - Sydney Cup Day (26/4-25/4-25/4)
This years carnival was a success but it did however have its weak points. Those weak points were the Ranvet Stakes Day at Canterbury and Sydney Cup Day at which a shocking crowd turned out compared to recent years. The Easter Saturday Chipping Norton Stakes meeting was a highlight for me due to the massively increased crowd and should hopefully have provided the income needed to make up on the disappointing turnout on the other days.
So where to now for the AJC? The first issue it needs to address is the cost of entry at these meetings. For the last 3 years the AJC has priced its 3 premier meetings at $35-$39 (Epsom Day, Derby Day, Sydney Cup Day). In the Sydney market these prices are way too high and will be punished by the consumer regardless of the prices being similar to the Melbourne . Dwindling crowds are definitely showing this. The first step is to reduce and heavily advertise a price under $30 next year. The Sydney sporting public has an aversion (usually showing up after 2 years at the price point) to events where the cheapest entry price is over $30. Examples of this are NSW Waratahs (Increased to $34 in 2005, sold out only one game since including 2 semi-finals) and Wallabies 2nd string test matches. Over this point the market the AJC is targetting can go to a decent nightclub costing $20 for the same dress standards and looser alcohol licensing. Another issue is that next years lawn party will not sell out due to the licensing restrictions imposed this year. This will cost the AJC significant revenue.
The 2nd issue to take account of is scheduling. This years carnival was almost perfect in the overall scheme of the Australian racing calendar. The Adelaide carnival slotted in nicely attracting some of the best Melbourne horses in years and horses were able to come out of the Adelaide races into the end of the Sydney Carnival. Further horses such as Apache Cat were able to run a double peak, hitting the ground running in Melbourne, spelling, then coming back into work for the end of the Sydney carnival and heading on to Brisbane.
Some of the changes that should come out of this years carnival should be:
*Move the Sydney Carnival forward a week. 2 weeks between the Australian Cup and Chipping Norton meeting resulted in a dead Saturday meeting at Rosehill (albeit with a strong Golden Rose field) that semi-killed the momentum. Additionally, finishing the carnival in May results in weather not suitable for the fashionistas. A bonus of this would result from ANZAC Day falling in the middle of the AJC carnival (or at least a public holiday Monday the following week.)
*Move the Adelaide carnival forward 1 week to ensure the same time scheme of races between Sydney and Adelaide
* Re-schedule the events on the AJC Carnival including the creation of a new day at Warwick Farm the week after the Hawkesbury meeting. The following schedule should be applied.
First Saturday -AJC Derby Day
1. AJC Derby
2. All Aged Stakes
ANZAC DAY (Or Public holiday Monday associated with ANZAC Day)
1. Sydney Cup
2. TJ Smith Stakes
2nd Saturday (Doncaster Day) - Ladies Day used as promotion
1. Doncaster Handicap
2. AJC Oaks
3. AJC Sires Produce (2nd leg 2YO triple crown)
Hawkesbury Stand Alone Meeting
Saturday Stayers Day - To be held as a family day at Warwick Farm following the carnival
1. Queen Elizabeth (2 weeks before Doomben Cup, allows horses from BMW, Doncaster, Derby and Oaks to race fresh) WFA Grand Final as such
2. Champagne Stakes (allows 2 week breaks in 2yo triple crown)
3. AJC St Leger (Re-create this race at 2800m for 3yo's to qualify for Melbourne Cup)
4. AJC Plate (Re-create historic 3600m staying race for horses backing up from Sydney Cup with no Brisbane Cup in future, gimmick race)
5. Provincial Stayers Championship Final
6. Create a country stayers Championship Final
7. Create a 2400m handicap race (Warwick Farm Cup) for open class city horses.
Ranvet Stakes Day will return to Rosehill this year most likely boosting the crowd again for the first day of the Golden Slipper Carnival. One of the successes of this year was the field attracted to the Golden Rose. An increase in prizemoney to the Hobartville can probably be justified next year when it returns to its rightful date 2 weeks before the Randwick Guineas.
On both a national basis and for the strength of the early stages of the Sydney Carnival locking the dates in to a fixed position will provide the AJC and STC with the best opportunities for optimising each day of the carnival.
Example 2009 schedule (2010/2011/2012) in brackets
Saturday 7 March - Australian Cup Day, Flemington (6/3-12/3-10/3)
Saturday 14 March - Chipping Norton Stakes Day
Saturday 21 March - Randwick Guineas Day - Schweppes Oaks/Robert Sangster
Saturday 28 March - Coolmore Classic Day (Golden Slipper Carnival Ladies Day)
Saturday 4 April - Rosehill Guineas Day (Road to The Slipper Final Day)-SA Oaks/SA Derby/Goodwood
Saturday 11 April - Golden Slipper Day (Easter Saturday)
Monday 13 April - Galaxy Day at Warwick Farm (Easter Monday)
Saturday 18 April - AJC Derby Day (17/4-23/4-21/4)
Saturday 25 April - Doncaster Ladies Day (24/4-30/4-28/4)
Monday 27 April - Sydney Cup Day (26/4-25/4-25/4)
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