Define irony – Comparative shitkicker Shelby Sixtysix at 61/1 beats the best sprinter in the world (Nature Strip), finishes 2nd to the other (Eduardo) by a lip after rocketing home in the Challenge Stakes, and yet it was only a 4 horse race with no place divvys.

Fair dinkum, that would’ve been one of the most ‘ridonculous’ results in recent racing history.

So as we struggle to cope with S.K Warne’s passing, on the most gut-wrenching day in Australia since Kylie and Jason left Neighbours, it turned out to be a very decent day’s racing, and amazingly, there were 10 different trainers/training partnerships that won the 10 races at Randwick today, yet none of them were Chris Waller or James Cummings.

In the major results, Hitotsu became the first VRC Derby winner since Mahogany in 1993-94 to win the Australian Guineas, and more impressively, he won it 1st Up:

At Woyal Wandwick, Hugh Bowman claimed his 100th Group 1 winner for the second time, after Savatiano was disqualified from last year’s Canterbury Stakes during the week to pop him back to 99, with Forbidden Love easily winning this year’s Canterbury Stakes for the Freedman Brothers:

In the biggest what if of the day, I took a place bet on Converge in the Randwick Guineas, thinking he’d run a good 2nd to Anamoe…. Turned out Converge handled the ground superbly and won the race from the favourite!

I took 2 place bets on horses that wound up winning today: Converge was one, and Malkovich in Race 8 at Flemington was the other, and to be honest, I can cop Malkovich winning when I had him to place because I was certain he was going to get nutted (Again), but Converge was a genuine missed opportunity.

And my final highlight of my day, INSPIRATIONAL GIRL heroically picked herself off the canvas, under the urgings of the Bunbury bogan Damian Lane, and nutted favourite Zaaki on the post in the Blamey Stakes, setting up an All-Star Mile rematch:

Let’s just say the value of my stubby holder has skyrocketed:

Now, how did Crazy Craig go?

Ah, that’s right, average as per usual.

Omen Bet: Russian Conquest in the Reisling Stakes at Randwick = 4th

Well, when you think about it, it’s fitting that Russian Conquest’s charge came to a grinding halt after encountering stern resistance.

Value Pick of the Day: Electric Girl in the Tressady Stakes at Flemington = 3rd ($2.60p), COLLECT

A value pick that was as good as a winner by my low standards, because $2.60 the place was a very handy return in a race where everyone was running for 2nd against Annavisto.

When they hit the top of the straight, I genuinely thought Electric Girl was going to get swallowed up and run near enough to last after a speed battle with Annavisto down the side of the course, but the only other horse that ran past her was Vespertine, and that’s a credit to Damien Oliver, so often regarded as ‘The Thief’ by The Gabster, but he practically yelled the bloody thing home into 3rd.

Sure it’s not a win, but is it a collect?

Hell yeah.

Pick of the Day: Real Danger in Race 6 at Ascot = 7th

Let’s just say the old ‘Pick the Second Favourite To Beat The Favourite’ card has blown up in Crazy Craig’s face, and you probably can’t see this in full view, but this was the official photo from CRIS, showcasing the 5 length margin between How’s The Serenity and the rest of that sorry, shithouse field….

How’s The Serenity?

More like How’s The Windburn.