SELECTIONS - 1 October 2006

POOMA selections:

Coleranie 2-1 Terang Miracle

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

Coleraine 6-7, 7-7, 8-3
Cootamundra 4-1
Sandown 2-1
Swan Hill 4-4, 6-3, 7-2, 8-2
York 5-7

Today: I'll start by quickly noting the SSY form as being Coleraine 5-13 Dolphin Man, which got beaten 20L by Suspects last time and doesn't look to have much of a chance. Our POOMA selection at Coleraine, 2-1 Terang Miracle, ran 2nd in the race won by Samadji at Ararat last time. He'll lead or sit outside the pace and should give us a good run for our money. I would rate the rest of today as a 3/10 day for having a go. It really depends on what value can be obtained on some of the runners. As people know I rate Swan Hill very highly as a punting venue, as the form always seems to stack up. However today things may not be as obvious as they seem starting with 4-4 Frank's Hack, which comes out of a couple of very successful systems and would normally be a POOMA selection except for the fact that I watched the replay of her runs. Her win two runs back was nothing to write home about, as she got a cosy run on the fence, got around the leaders and arrived in the last hop. At her next run she settled second last and showed absolutely no dash at all when called upon in an effort that suggests she might need a spell. 3-Tactical Jack was also in that race and he missed the start 3-4L, worked up to midfield, made a run in the straight that put him in the finish before weakening late. 2-How Uncanny is first up for the L Oliver stable. He's won his last two first up runs with the latest being a powerful come from last win at Werribee over 1000m. 6-3 Spinning Red gets his chance to win but keeps finding ways to get beaten. 9-Politburo backs up quickly and has a good record of 3/6 at this track. If Spinning Red was $4 then I'd have a think about it but he's likely to go around at $3. 7-2 Play Again is an in and out type that needs everything to go his own way while 8-2 Star Image looks the best of the Swan Hill picks, as he ran 4th behind Samadji last time and I reckon that might be pretty good form to follow also. So, all in all, it'll pay to be careful if punting at Swan Hill. The Sandown meeting also looks too even to be confident of tipping anything outright, which is not to say that there might not be some value on offer but you'll need to determine that closer to post time particularly with the David Hayes' runners, as he looks to have a chance in most races. If 4-1 Unabated gets out to silly odds of $6+ then I'd suggest having something on, as she plummets in class so much her ears will pop. Last time she raced at this track was last November in the WFA Listed race won by Bomber Bill in which she ran 2nd beaten a length. If she reproduces that sort of run then she'll take some tossing today. I'll be looking for value with horses that are in similar situations where they're dropping in class with a duck egg or two next to their name such as 7-1 Professional Lady and 7-2 Valkyrie Diva.

Yesterday: Our POOMA selection, Late Change, ran poorly in race 3 at Mornington but the winner, Stanzout, looks really good and he can definitely measure up to city class. Both the runner up, Straddle, and third placegetter, Let Loushe, ran very well and they are worth following. I stood Savlate out in the Ansett Classic in the quaddie but Sarrera beat me, as I had the rest. My quaddie philosophy is to stand out at least one leg and if you can't find one to stand out then you should consider not playing. Same goes for trifectas and First4s. I backed both of the Doomben selections yesterday in race 1 straight out at $20 and $10 and they ran 2nd and 3rd beaten a neck and a head. Fortunately, I rolled both of them in a trifecta and scored that with the $10 winner. The Stavka/Suspects/Yappa form stood up with Barefoot Marvel getting up at $20. I had a solid e/w bet and got the First4 so that was handy. The other three I highlighted with the SSY form didn't figure in the finish though Benzmark at $20 sat behind the leader and got people excited when he put himself into the fray at the top of the straight but couldn't go on with it. I'll keep following the SSY form for the next couple of weeks or a horse's next run and I reckon it'll pay off.

POOMAs: None from two yesterday. I expected Late Change to lead and was happy when he took up that role however he was under pressure on the corner and dropped out to finish midfield in what was a disappointing effort. Savlate had a terrific run in the race but couldn't hold out the winner, Sarrera, which is a more classy individual.