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

Well friends, we have arrived at the day of the Golden Slipper, one of the grand days of Australian racing and the richest 2-year-old race in the Western Hemisphere, the historic 70th edition of the Slipper that was first win by Todman in 1957, and it stands to reason that at least 13 out of the 16 horses in this field will probably never win another race, while one of the three that might win another race will probably wind up winning a Group 1.

There is also a change with the Melbourne card for this year’s Slipper Day, as the redevelopment at Moonee Valley meant the Group 1 William Reid Stakes (Which was moved to Saturday in 2025) is now at Caulfield, which means there’s still 6 Group 1s on the day:

– The William Reid

– The Ranvet Stakes

– The Rosehill Guineas

– The George Ryder Stakes

– The Golden Slipper

– The Galaxy Stakes

If you do the math, that’s the most Group 1s on any day of the year in Australian racing, even surpassing Derby Day.

Other noteworthy races include the Group 2 Sunline Stakes and Alister Clarke Stakes at Caulfield, the Group 3 Manion Cup, Epona Stakes and Birthday Card Stakes at Rosehill, the Manion Cup (and Ranvet Stakes) being the last lead-up race to the Tancred Stakes at Rosehill next week.

Of course, there’s another historic facet to Saturday’s races….

James McDonald has rides in all 5 Group 1 races at Rosehill, and requires just 1 more win to equal Damien Oliver’s all-time official record of 129 Group 1 victories, and of course it took Oliver some 32 years to break George Moore’s record (Which is listed as 119, although almost all of Moore’s wins came prior to the introduction of Group 1 racing), and it could take JMac not even 18 years since his first Group 1 win as a 16-year-old in New Zealand in 2008…

And another unique record involving McDonald and Moore could be matched and/or broken tomorrow, as McDonald and Chris Waller are on 53 Group 1 wins as a trainer/jockey partnership, which is 1 off the record held by Moore and Tommy Smith, which most notably included the likes of Tulloch and Redcraze.

So it’s on to Crazy Craig, and good lord man, make us laugh.

The Skyhooks Pick: Skyhook (No.2, Barrier 3) in Race 4 at Rosehill (SR4), 2:05pm AEDT

1200m Listed Darby Munro Stakes

Trainers: Gerald Ryan & Sterling Alexiou, Jockey: Tim Clark, 58.5kg

Hello hello everybody, it’s Craaaaazy Craig TBFB, Scratchie King of Bairnsdale, getting set for another great edition of the Golden Slipper, and every year I see that bloody race, I think back to 1992 when myself and my associate Mr Alfonse both decided to back Clan O’Sullivan, and watched as he led superbly for 1150m of the 1200m, only to be nailed by Burst before the finishing post, which brought about a response from our unnamed mate which became a staple of our conversations for years to come….

“HEART AS BIG AS A ****IN’ PEA!”

Nowadays most people use that to describe the Sydney Swans in Grand Finals, so we’ll try and drag it back to the horses as we start off at the centre point of the Australian universe, and once again stuff the Group 1s because there’s too many short-priced favourites or they’re harder to pick than a broken nose, so I’ll start off with a horse that’s either named after Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s signature move, or the band that featured the one and only SHIRLEY STRACHAN…

Back in 1974, Skyhooks were Living in the ’70s…

Now it’s just Red Symonds and Greg Macainsh living in their 70s!

The Steve Bradbury Pick: Gold Medalist (No.13, Barrier 2) E/W in Race 10 at Caulfield, 5:50pm AEDT

1400m BM84 Handicap

Trainers: Peter Moody & Katherine Coleman, Jockey: Luke Nolen, 54kg

Alternatively, the Ian Thorpe/Emma McKeon/Jess Fox/Noemie Fox/Dawn Fraser/Edwin Flack/Betty Cuthbert/Anna Meares/Kieren Perkins/Cathy Freeman Pick…

But nah, none of them will ever top Sir Steven Bradbury.

Half A Dozen Group 1 Picks To Help You Find Half A Dozen Losers

Ranvet Stakes: Sir Delius (No.1, Barrier 6)

Rosehill Guineas: Autumn Boy (No.2, Barrier 3)… can the Autumn Boy win in the Autumn?

George Ryder Stakes: Autumn Glow (No.8, Barrier 7)

William Reid Stakes: Jimmysstar (No.1, Barrier 1)

Golden Slipper: Warwoven (No.4, Barrier 14)

The Galaxy: Grafterburners (No.14, Barrier 8)

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