Based on a series of plausible events in a regional Victorian town

In amidst all this news about trainers getting done for banned substances and the Queensland Health authorities being frightened of the boogie man, there was one particular piece of news that I enjoyed:

The Brisbane Racing Club finally named a race after the late Darby McCarthy.

In recent years, the BRC named a race after Pam O’Neill in recognition of her laying the groundwork for the success of the current crop of female jockeys in Australia, but until now, Darby hadn’t been recognised in such a way for what he did for indigenous jockeys, and indeed what he accomplished in the community after he retired from riding.

If only he was still with us to enjoy it.

Anyway, the winter is fast approaching, and what a mild set of races we’ve got nationwide tomorrow – The Lord Mayors Cup at Rosehill, the Straight Six at Flemington, the first day of the Belmont season in Perth, and the feature of the day, the WFA Group 1 Doomben Cup, and here’s a remarkable fact:

Might And Power won the race in 1998 when it was still over the old 2020m, with a winning time of 2.00.530, which still is the Australian record for 2020m.

More amazingly, Mighty’s winning time is still FASTER than the current 2000m record at Doomben, which is 2.00.960 by Real Love in 2016.

Just goes to show what an utterly superb specimen he was.

So on that note, enough of my garbage, here’s the mysterious mental magician with his Picks of The Day, set to the sounds of one of Cliff Richard’s not so religious hits, LUCKY LIPS!

Ranier (No.4, Barrier 7) E/W in the BRC Sprint at Doomben (BR8), 3:58pm AEST

1350m Group 3 Quality

Trainer: James Cummings, Jockey: Hugh Bowman, 58kg

Hello hello hello cobbers, it’s Crazy Craig, The Boy From Bairnsdale, writing to you again, and let me tell you, I have been absolutely positively frothing at the mouth to get amongst it on a Saturday, and I have not been this excited ALL BLOODY YEAR!

Forget about the Doomben Cup, I’m going to the BRC Sprint, and forget those pea-hearted banana benders who are leading the market, I’m going with the Royal Blue Wrecking Crew from Godolphin, who are sending up the Hall Mark Stakes runner-up that sounds like a shampoo product, RANIER!

Now, if you can believe this, Ranier didn’t open at his current 8/1 quote on Wednesday…

HE WAS 21/1!

I bloody well jumped with delight seeing that price, and I would’ve told Crazy Colin to race down to the TAB and put $300 on him, but after the shit he pulled with my Warrnambool Cup ticket a few weeks back, I wouldn’t trust Colin to hold a plastic fork, let alone my cold hard cash!

So anyway knackers, why have picked him, well, Ranier returned to the races with a flashy 2nd in the Group 3 Hall Mark at Randwick behind Splintex, who has since run 6th in the Doomben 10,000, and now the son of Lonhro goes out to the 1350m where he’s won 4 times and placed 4 other times from 14 goes, and in all honesty knackers, some of these Banana Benders in this field might be good on paper, but they’ve run in BUGGER ALL big races compared to a Group 3!

Garibaldi, Skins, Axe – One of them sounds like a murder weapon, one of them sounds like a TV show, and one of them is pronounced as if it were someone describing Gary Ablett Junior’s appearance!

GARY BALDY!

At the end of the day, as many of you know based on my erratic patterns of text, I’m no stranger to backing value, so I figure in an open sprint like this, I may as well back a horse who’ll sit off a hot speed and have the last crack at them, so on that note..

Take care, Ranier, my Each Way PICK OF THE DAY!

Real Grace (No.11, Barrier 8) in Race 6 at Belmont (PR6), 3:20pm AWST

1300m Amelia Park Handicap 3Y 62+ Rating Handicap

Trainer: Bob Peters Grant & Alana Williams, Jockey: William Pike, 54.5kg

Now to throw you all off once again with my Pick Of The Day, I’m not going to bloody Flemington or Rosehill, nor Doomben again, I’m going over to the Wild Wild West for the opening of the Belmont winter season!

I kid you not, I had to ask my old mate Mr Alfonse on the phone where Belmont was, and he told me it wasn’t near Ascot, which is in Belmont!

WHY ARE YOU SANDGROPERS SO DIFFICULT!

Ascot or Belmont or wherever the hell it is, I’m thinking Princess Grace can snap my 2-month long Pick of the Day drought, as she returns from her summertime break after being, for a lack of a better word, outclassed in the Belgravia Stakes during the spring, but she appears to have come back in good order, at least based on her performances during the Belmont trials in the last month, with a 2nd followed by a win, she’s still a 3-year-old filly with a smidgen of talent in hand, which would make the think the Williams team have got her ready to put in a big one 1st Up under the urgings of little Willy The Wizard!

Speaking of teams named Williams, did you know this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix is the 750th race for the Williams Formula One team?

Shame they haven’t been any good for the last 400 of them, because I loved them when Alan Jones was in his heyday!

Real Grace – MY PICK OF THE DAY.

So on that note cobbers, enjoy your Saturday any which way you can, and remember, I’m Crazy Craig, and that’s why they call me CRAAAAAAZY CRAIG!