Opinions, well you know what they are said to be like, “everybody has them”. A little-known addendum to that is - “they stink”. Makes sense, right.
Racing, as does any sport, any field, lends itself to rightful discussion, well opinion if you wish to call it that, and this is after all an opinion piece.
I am a fan of the work of early 20th century writer (journalist) H L Mencken who wrote of opinion: “it is a dull man who is always sure, and the sure man who is always dull.”
So, was the Gabba deck too green? Discuss - Yes it obviously was in outcome, a two-day test, but a five-day draw is perhaps as numbingly engaging, and aren’t cricketers paid well enough for “conditions”, heavy 8 or a fast 2?
There was plenty of this going on during the two day test to open the series between Australia and South Africa at The Gabba. Picture: Bradley Kanaris–Getty Images
And quickly the story of the baggy green’s bagginess and dishevelment tethered down the totem poll of social media chatting points.
A soccer Derby in Melbourne as World Cup histrionics rightly focussed on the stars Messi and Mpabbe, but the headlines were grabbed by those carrying (not wearing them), those flares and you know the rest of it from the AAMI Park debacle.
Unfortunately it got seriously ugly during the aborted A-League between Melbourne City and Melbourne Victory at AAMI Park. Picture: Darrian Traynor–Getty Images
Did you know the world swimming short course championships were on in Melbourne? Russia, originally mandated to host them, wasn’t a good place a stage them. We did ok apparently, as we should.
But racing is not immune of sometime self-immolation. Indeed, it is as successful as Christmas stocking filler for those looking to socially stack them.
Protests, spring carnivals, internal matters, banned trainers, all fodder for the public court.
But the decision in the Invincible Caviar v My Yankee Rose Blake Shinn whip protest at Flemington had the jurors mostly busy outside the room. Endlessly. Easy fatuous fodder.
Easy view, protest upheld under the rules.
And was well explained as such by chief steward Robert Cram, after the charade of going through the process if stewards lodging their own protest ($1.01 chance there), and then asking for submissions (?).
Stewards had no option to but uphold their own interjection, and rightfully did so, their rules of jurisdiction had been breached, there was no middle ground on that (dead-heat), but then there is so much more to explore here. Precedent doesn’t mean a ground-breaking defining first.
There is also the saying that the “law is an ass”. Mr Bumble in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist supposes that. Correctly.
Racing Victoria has endlessly floated their view and Saturday’s decision sat comfortably with that view but a bottom draw at Racing Australia holds a longer-term review plausible they think to the whip’s role (well at least in our) racing.
Did Blake Shinn cheat on My Yankee Rose to share the result with Invincible Caviar (Jamie Kah)?
No. But he broke the rules of racing, and hence the stewards made the decision they did and inarguably so.
But putting some meat on the bone if only for discussion, opinion if you say so.
So, Shinn used the whip said steward’s to gain an unfair advantage with those 12 strikes prior to the 200m (some 6 in consecutive stride), the overall 27 total is irrelevant as they done don’t breach the current rule from the last 200m home.
No doubt Shinn breached the rules and upheld was the only course of recourse.
Now to the chore of the matter, interpretation, opinion. Which is what stewards do.
The margin was a dead heat. Rules breached, easy decision.
But nothing to do with such matters ahead unless it is a shared result.
Stewards wouldn’t agree Shinn’s actions defined a margin gained in dead heat result. But agree the change of the result sat with them.
The 27 strikes is totally irrelevant in discussion, it is the 12 before the last 10m with consecutive strikes (6) to be taken) into account.
So interesting to look at sections where Shinn’s My Yankee Girl ran 10.82 s from the 400m to the 200mwhen supposedly advantaged by Shinn’s whip breach against winner Invincible Caviar (10.78s).That’s slower.
Or the last 200m where Invincible Girl ran 11.85s v My Yankee Girl was an obvious slicker 11.51s, when the whip use is unregulated and irrelevant under the rules.
So did Invincible Girl knock up on fitness late or Shinn – whose whip use under any viewing – would look as not capable of not knocking a fly off a chop – change the outcome?
It’s all an opinion. Everyone has them.
Like the Melbourne spring carnival supposedly?
We need to change and look for free air is the message?
As the clubs mostly involved (Caulfield and Moonee Valley) suggest, give us a compelling case and they will consider upending the calendar carnival.
It was only a few years ago that former Melbourne Racing Club chairman Peter Le Grand called Racing Victoria “gutless” and “weak” for not taking up the club’s proposals to overhaul the carnival with the Caulfield Cup possibly after the Melbourne Cup.
He later apologised and common sense has since prevailed and the “opinion’ is, provide us (all clubs) with better or more evidence to change a successful carnival and we may consider it. It isn’t broke.
The carnival is such in name only. Dates are merely checks and seasons are a little less relevant.
Is the perception that Football (AFL style) in Victoria, dominates all landscapes and “free air” only exists off it’. Surely not, such fatuous babble is this.
Spring Starts in October after the AFL caravan moves on and all is ok.?
Why should not racing (especially Victorian) stand on its own leading into spring, if they want leverage off, if not lean on the AFL, but also the Racing NSW engagement into the territory.
Clubs are asking for a compelling case for change. Would be hard pressed to think there was one. But always right to pursue one.
That’s just an opinion.
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