A GROUP 1 WINNING TIPPING PERFORMANCE FROM CRAAAAZY CRAIG, AS PINARELLO WINS THE QLD DERBY FROM BARRIER 17

For the second time in 3 weeks, the Random (Sounds Like) Donovan Pick salutes the judges, proving that Donovan is a great musician and a great tipster, and that win of Pinarello was Kiwi champ ‘Lethal Leith’ Innes at his finest, and in one of the most stunning developments ever seen, off the back of the greatest win he’s ever experienced as a jockey, the visiting Kiwi decided he couldn’t possibly ride any better than he did in the Derby, and decided to retire from riding at the age of 44.

Well done Leith on both the win + the career, and it’s not easy to win with Crazy Craig’s considerable mental weight on your back, let alone in a Group 1 from Barrier 17, but it all means we can SOUND THE LUCKY LIPS TUNE OF VICTORY:

While Innes got his final Group 1 win, one lucky trainer finally got their maiden Group 1 win after a quest that at times became as desperate as Gollum searching for the ring, and that was Desleigh Foster striking it big for the locals with Apache Chase in the Kingsford-Smith Cup, which ended in a very similar margin to the Derby:

So from the sweetest of highs there was the most tragic of lows today, and it wasn’t Zaaki shitting the bed at $1.25 (Actually that was predictable), it was 2020 Geelong Cup winner & dual Melbourne Cup runner Steel Prince suffering a suspected fatal heart attack not even 200 metres into Race 2 at Eagle Farm, which occurred right in front of the grandstands in clear view of the public, which was quite simply a tragic and awful outcome for everyone involved, and thankfully Nash Rawiller was able to dismount in time and escape injury.

Now, on that somber note, what else happened with Crazy Craig’s forgettable picks?

Value Pick: Oscar Zulu E/W in the BRC Spring at Eagle Farm = 14th/16

This was a race.

Random ‘Sounds Like A Donovan Song’ Pick: Pinarello in the Queensland Derby at Eagle Farm = WINNER ($6.50w/$2.40p)

I’ve already mentioned ‘They Call Me Pinarello’ off the top, but I haven’t pointed out a couple of superb pieces of horsemanship from Leith Innes during the run that pretty much decided the race.

The first is that after jumping from the grandstand in Barrier 17 (In from 20 after scratchings), Innes wound up in 7th and one off the fence by the winning post.

From Barrier 17.

Thanks for coming.

The second one was that Innes made the decision to peel out wide at the 700m and take luck out of the equation, and as it turned out, it was the absolutely perfect time to take off, as evidenced by Pinarello having just enough in reserve to hold off Paternal by a bee’s lip, who got held up for a split second before taking off in the straight, and in a moment for the people of New Zealand, the First 4 were all bred in Aotearoa, and they were all trained by Kiwis.

Roger James & Robert Wellwood train Pinarello, Chris Waller trains Paternal and Caboche, and Lance O’Sullivan & Andrew Scott train Dark Destroyer who ran a narrow 4th.

Another great Derby moment in Australia for the Kiwis, who celebrated by watching the New Zealand Warriors collapse against Newcastle over the next 2 hours.

So having delivered a ride so good he could never top it again, Leith Innes retired a winner, Crazy Craig went insane with delight, and to paraphrase Donovan, they call him Pinarello, quite rightly!

Pick of the Day: Sneaky Chance in Race 10 at Belmont = 3rd ($1.45p)

Eeyore Wayz beat home Material Witness and Sneaky Chance.

When you think about, Sneaky Chance has, quite literally, been beaten by an Ass.