SELECTIONS - 30 September 2006

POOMA selections:

Mornington 3-7 Late Change
Mornington 6-14 Savlate

Non-POOMA selections (and ruffies in red below):

Belmont 1-1, 2-1, 6-2, 6-6, 8-1
Doomben 1-2, 1-9
Newcastle 3-1
Randwick 2-11, 4-5

Today: I do not like betting at Mornington as a rule but today we have a city class meeting highlighted by the $100,000 Ansett Classic, a 2000m Listed race. We are continuing to follow the Stavka/Suspects/Yappa form (SSY form), which is why 3-7 Late Change is a POOMA in what is a very good Class 3 field. He drops 2kg, will lead or sit outside the pace and be right in the finish. Last start he ran 2nd to Bon Hoffa who came out and won on Thursday at the strong Ballarat meeting, which followed his powerful all the way first up win. 6-14 Savlate has everything made to order in the main race of the day. He's drawn well, is in on the limit and races handy and should be good odds. At Seymour there are a few runners that have the SSY form so we'll watch and see how they go. 2-9 Barefoot Marvel drew 15 of 15, jumped quickly to be outside the leader, Yappa, last time at Ballarat but was 6-8 deep meaning that when the turn came she lost ground at which point Baster simply sat on her until the end so that he was beaten more than 20L leading to stewards querying Baster on the ride. 5-2 Benzmark was beaten 15L behind Suspects last time, which is about the same margin as the thing that thrashed them at Balaklava was beaten in the same race. He was beaten 9L by Maximgun and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him improve here. 6-3 Salt Lake City was beaten nearly 10L by Bon Hoffa first up from a spell after drawing 16 of 16. He drops in grade here and I'm going to have a little each way on him. Rounding out the SSY form is 9-11 Glowing Storm. This 3YO filly was beaten 7.5L by Stavka first up at Bendigo and this is an easier race. I'm not that keen on anything else from around the country. At Randwick I'll go for Desert War to upset them in the George Main like he did last year and in the last there it looks like a match race between Kakakakatie and Coolroom Candidate.

Yesterday: An amazing evening at MV with both black type races decided in the stewards' room. Magic Jet was first home in the Stutt Stakes but drifted out in the straight and Churchill Downs got the race on protest. I have to say that I never thought that Churchill Downs was going to win the race and it was an appalling decision by an appalling and inconsistent stewards' panel. The Spinney decision was a tad easier for them, as Spinney rolled in on top of Pavlova and cost her the race. I made the comment yesterday that I wanted to see whether Spinney would confirm the Lad Of The Manor form or not and the answer is - not. The good form is the El Segundo form and I think you can write off Lad Of The Manor (except at MV for a place in the Cox Plate), Apache Cat, Spinney et al for the big races this spring. Not much to comment on otherwise from around the rest of the country though you'd think that Regal Megan can keep winning at Rockhampton given the way she thrashed them in the third race there yesterday.

POOMAs: One selections yesterday at Stawell in race one with No Fuse landing in the last hop at around even money after looking in trouble 200m out. Keeps the good POOMA run going.