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

Ah, here we are, the first Saturday of the new season, and all the horses of the Southern Hemisphere have had their birthdays!

The 2-year-olds are now 3-year-olds, the 3-year-olds are now 4-year-olds, and so on and so forth.

As for the races, while the Coffs Harbour Cup rages on today, the biggest race on Saturday, in terms of Stakes racing, is the Group 2 Missile Stakes at Rosehill, always a lead-up for the future middle-distance Group 1s at Randwick in the coming weeks, plus the Group 3 Aurie’s Star at Flemington, and all of this is encompassed by Jockey Celebration Day, a very poignant day this year, especially with the death of Dean Holland back in April just reminding us all once again how dangerous race riding still is.

Of course, there was even more news this week about jockeys, with the passing of 1977 Melbourne Cup winning jockey John Duggan, who rode Gold And Black for Bart Cummings, and had previously helped Bart win the 1976 Golden Slipper on Vivarchi, among his other great triumphs in Sydney.

But, other than that, I’m just waiting for the Darwin Cup on Monday.

So it’s on to Crazy Craig, and it was good to see the resident lunatic end the season on a winning note as he collected on Lievore at 6-1 at Moonee Valley, and only just came up short with his other two selections running 2nd, so come on Crazy Craig, be our GOOD LUCK CHARM!

P(r)ick No.1: Regal Pom (No.5, Barrier 1) E/W in Race 6 at Rosehill (SR6), 2:25pm AEST

1350m BM78 Jockey Celebration Day Handicap

Trainer: Annabel Neasham, Jockey: Ryan Maloney, 58kg

Hello hello everyone it’s Craaaaaazy Craig, TBFB, Scratchie King of Bairnsdale, and let me tell you the news agencies of Bairnsdale have RUN OUT of scratchies after I gave out Lievore last week, because everybody had enough money to buy their own scratchies and give them to the down on their luck!

What a great society we live in!

Now, that was all in the past and this is the now, this week is a brand new season, the form lines are crap, so I’ll start off with the racing from Rosehill, and you know me, I loath to pick Group races because they’re absolute chook raffles, so I’ll start a little bit earlier than the Missile Stakes, and what a great contest we have in Race 6:

King of Naples, named after Diego Armando Maradona:

Wategos, which is just something that I have no idea what the hell that name even is:

And in the other corner, just ready to let loose after 2 good trials, is Regal Pom, named after the most Regal Pom of them all…..

Mrs Hyacinth Bucket…..

I’m sorry, Bouquet!

P(r)ick No.2: Brayden Star (No.3, Barrier 3) in Race 8 at Flemington (MR8), 3:55pm AEST

1620m BM84 VRC Member Lionel Ross Trophy

Trainers: Trent Busuttin & Natalie Young, Jockey: Damien Oliver, 59kg

Brayden Star is back from Sydney after running a good 2nd over the 1800m, he’s back at the preferred mile (and 20 metres) where he can drop back and run over the top of the leaders with clean running, and just seeing that name BRAYDEN, it makes me think of a great Brayden that played for Collingwood just recently…

No, it’s not Brayden Maynard, it’s Brayden Sier!

Or, as he’s known in Melbourne’s pick-up basketball scene, Phil Inn.

P(r)ick No.3: River Rubicon (No.3, Barrier 1) E/W in Race 9 at Belmont (PR9), 5:15pm AWST

1200m 72+ Rating Congratulations William Pike Handicap

Trainer: Steve Wolfe, Jockey: Shaun McGruddy, 59.5kg

THE DIE IS CAST…. Crazy Craig has picked River Rubicon!

Amazing that they were able to have a film camera rolling as Julius Ceasar crossed the Rubicon in 49 BC.

Enjoy your Saturday folks, stay safe, stay negative, GAMBLE WITHIN REASON, KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE ROAD, and remember, I’m Crazy Craig, and that’s why they call me Craaaaaazy Craig!