Coriolis effect

I stayed up late last night to watch the Patinack Turnbull Stakes GI, at Flemington. Foolish Pleasure hooked me on to the Australian racing scene a few weeks ago and the wonder from down under that is Weekend Hussler.

Australianracing.com provides live video of all the racing (free membership) and PP's (race 8B).

The Turnbull is, apparently, one of the progressions leading up to the Melbourne Cup GI; the Australians, among others, are surely snickering at the, ad absurdum, BC Marathon carded at 12 furlongs.

Weekend Hussler went off at 2/5 and the pre-race commentary did not shy away from reporting on the large individual bets, being placed across the country, on the horse to win. In fact, the bets placed on horses were a central topic throughout the narrative.

Hussler finished up the track in eighth, the going(slow) and distance(10 furlongs) apparently too much for this horse making his fifth start since August 2oth; the winner, Littorio, was 11-1 and qualified for a N2L. The comment line in the PP's for the winning horse reads that he "Has good record in the wet". The second choice, Pompeii Ruler at 7-1, ran fourth.

I didn't watch much of the wrap up since it was late and I was delirious but there was very little shock or dismay that Hussler did not run well.

I wonder how crowded the bridges were Saturday afternoon in Australia.