SELECTIONS - 5 January 2008

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

Stony Creek 6-2 Jeteven [10,13]
Newcastle 6-3 Reign And Rule [2]
Newcastle 7-5 Dame Matico [7]
Newcastle 7-11 Novellino [7]
Mudgee 3-4 Lavender Cove [7]
Mudgee 6-2 Fernfield [2]
Morphettville 3-1 Would You Believe [13]
Toowoomba 3-7 Inner Guard [17]
Toowoomba 9-3 Regal Castanea [13]

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

Ascot 5-2, 5-7, 6-7
Mudgee 3-2, 5-1, 6-1
Newcastle 1-1, 3-1
Randwick 5-1, 6-1
Sandown 7-9
Toowoomba 1-4, 3-6, 4-1, 7-3, 8-1

(* Any updates at Ascot later on *)

Comments: Gee, it was a small flogging yesterday. Couldn't even get a $1.30 shot home. Hopefully, we'll do better today. Stony Creek 6-2 Jeteven flogged his rivals in Maiden company here in mid-December on a slow track. Will probably lead them for a long way and be a fair chance in this small field. Newcastle 6-3 Reign And Rule has run a couple of sound races and this doesn't look like much of a race so if he can get a good run from his 9 gate then he should go close. Newcastle 7-5 Dame Matico carried Robbo to victory over this course first up to win her Maiden in OK time for the grade. If she runs up to that effort then she'll go close though she'll have to contend with Newcastle 7-11 Novellino, a POOMA in the same race, that also won his Maiden over this course in a similar time three weeks ago. I'll take just those two in the last leg of the quaddie. Mudgee 3-4 Lavender Cove is working through his grades nicely after two wins from a spell. He's appreciated the weaker class from his previous provincial runs and should go close again in this, which is one RB level below what he won last time. Mudgee 6-2 Fernfield won a non-TAB Maiden at Orange and an RB60 is hardly much of a step up in grade so he should be a fair chance again. Morphettville 3-1 Would You Believe stepped up to a mile last time and won easily in Class 2 company. He should go well again but the 6/4 on the morning line is way too short.

Black Book: Ascot 2-1 Elliotto did the job for us at a nice $5 last time. Meets the runner up worse at the weights but was coming off a six week break for that run and should be improved.