SELECTIONS - 21 April 2007

POOMA selections (Location Race#-TAB# Horse [system/s])

Ascot 1-3 I'm Gifted [18]
Ascot 3-1 Lacerate [14]
Newcastle 1-1 Turn And Burn [12]

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

Ascot 2-4, 5-2
Cranbourne 2-8, 5-11, 7-9
Gold Coast 4-2, 7-7
Hawkesbury 1-1, 3-4, 5-2, 7-6, 8-1, 8-3

Comments: Well, how's that? A $6.20 winner from our one selection yesterday. There's still a fair amount of damage to undo this month so let's hope today's picks are up to it. Newcastle 1-1 Turn And Burn is stepping up from 1400m to 1800m for the first time and has 59kg, which sees him give 6kg to the field. There's not much pace in the race so that will help and the rest of them are hardly world beaters. If he wins then he'll beat the furthest distance won by a Shinko King (currently 1620m) in Australia except for a couple that have won over the sticks. I'll want around $2.80 to have a go, which I don't think we'll get. Ascot 1-3 I'm Gifted drops so far in grade that she won't know herself and unless one of the first starters are any good then you'd think she'll just win. The only trick is that she doesn't have much early pace so she'll want to be on the move before the ones in front can get away. Ascot 3-1 Lacerate is a consistent horse that appears to have this field covered but he'll be served up at red odds and I won't be too interested in that.

A couple from the black book today. Eagle Farm 4-11 Saint Sebastian made it 3 from 3 with a very impressive win at Ipswich. He wasn't that well handled by Adrian Coome that day and sat 3-4 deep for the trip before proving too good. In this field he might be e/w odds and is well worth following for his next half dozen starts. Sandown 3-7 Adam's Peak sat three deep at the rear of the field, came 6 deep on the turn and rounded up an average field in a twinkling. I made a note in my black book that he'd be suited at 1600m+ which he gets today. Brian Mayfield-Smith is on fire lately and that's gotta be worth an extra couple of lengths.