SELECTIONS - 1 January 2008

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

Flemington 6-7 Colonel Parker [17]
Inverell 8-2 Hotshot Hayil [13]
Morphettville 2-11 Shrewd Poppy [2]
Morphettville 7-9 Bleury Jeuney [10]

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

Ascot 2-1, 6-7
Randwick 5-6, 8-1

(* Any updates at Ascot later on *)

Comments: How can you tell it's January 1? Inverell has its annual TAB meeting. We kick off the 2008 POOMAs afresh and hopefully we can get away to a flyer, though all of these could get beaten today. Flemington 6-7 Colonel Parker is one of Tassie's best sprinters and put in a good performance for 2nd behind Cocinero last time out. This is a really tough race with some accomplished straight course sprinters engaged but he'll be a chance and double e/w odds looks nice. Inverell 8-2 Hotshot Hayil won an RB68 at Lismore last time out in an emotional effort, as he'd fallen at his previous start and jockey Daniel Baker was killed. Hasn't strung two together before but it was a strong effort to win that race and he must be a chance in this. Morphettville 2-11 Shrewd Poppy drops from a poor Class 1 race into a poor Maiden today and steps up to a mile after 5 weeks off. Wouldn't need to be a great horse to win this and anything above $3 looks about right. Morphettville 7-9 Bleury Jeuney is well named for this time of the year, as I suspect that there are a few blurry-eyed punting journeymen out there today. Won well in Maiden company over this course first up though this is a fair jump in grade and I'd want at least $6 to get interested.

Black Book: Ascot 5-7 Second Omen is one of those horses that goes into the black book and then connections decide to enter her for black type races. She has run well in the three Listed events she's been in and should run OK today but I'd rather see her in a lower grade field. Ascot 8-16 Westerly Breeze is another that has raced out of her grade but she might be a chance in this after her strong finishing effort behind today's favourite last time paying $3+ for the place, which was handy. Was ridden a treat by Troy Turner that day and he'll need a repeat performance but must be an e/w chance again.