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

Alright friends, we keep marching on through another boring Saturday in April, featuring Day 2 of The Championships on some kind of Soft dungheap at Randwick, with the highlight being the Queen Elizabeth Stakes as Autumn Glow goes for a perfect 12 wins from 12 starts against some fairly handy runners like Aeliana, Sir Delius, Dubai Honour and the Australian Cup winner Light Infantry Man, and it might seem like a certainty on paper, but history shows there has been some red hot favourites ($2 and under) go under in the Queen Elizabeth…

Dinky Flyer defeated Our Waverley Star in 1987 (The same season as the Race of the Century Cox Plate), Intergaze defeated Octagonal in 1997 in Octagonal’s farewell, then Intergaze again took down Sunline (Who had won the Doncaster) in 1999, Shogun Lodge went under in the 2002 race, Grand Armee took down Lonhro in 2004, the year of Lonhro’s farewell to racing, then Zaaki, Anamoe and Verry Elleegant all went under against Think It Over in that epic finish in 2022.

The other Group 1s on the card include the Australian Oaks, the 3200m Sydney Cup and the Queen of the Turf, and some other major races around the country include the Galilee Series Final and the Anniversary Vase at Caulfield, with the Adelaide Carnival getting closer Morphetville hosts a couple of Group 3s (The Auraria & Irwin Stakes), and Ascot (Which is in Belmont) hosts the WATC Derby, and if you don’t remember the WATC Derby used to be a Group 1 in the Autumn, and it was so big David Hayes sent 1 horse over and won it, but the Winterbottom was later elevated to Group 1 status (2011) while the Derby was downgraded, giving Perth 3 Group 1s in the Spring and nothing in the Autumn…

And the Grand National is on at Aintree, unless the IRA decide they want to issue a bomb threat and have the entire course evacuated as an anniversary present.

So it’s on to Crazy Craig, and I can’t bloody believe it, he found another bloody winner as Joliestar proved TOO GOOD in the T.J. Smith Stakes… so I can guess we can say he’s got GROUP 1 WINNING Lucky Lips!

P(r)ick No.1: Profoundly (No.3, Barrier 10) in the Australian Oaks at Randwick (SR5), 2:05pm AEST

2400m Group 1 3YO Fillies Asahi Super Dry Australian Oaks

Trainer: Michael Freedman, Jockey: Tommy Berry, 56kg

Hello hello hello everybody it’s Craaaaaazy Craig TBFB, Scratchie King of Bairnsdale, and wouldn’t you know it, another bloody winner and here I am having to come back and try and find another winner and get the scratchies out to the down on their luck, and I reckon I was right about something over the Easter weekend… if the traditional message of Easter has taught us anything, it’s that Jesus would’ve wanted us to help make the down on their luck that little bit happier!

And JOLIESTAR did just THAT.

Anyway, we’ll start off this week with another Group 1 at Randwick, and the coveted Australian Oaks, once the AJC Australian Oaks and won by some all-time great horses like Light Fingers (Who won the Melbourne Cup that same year in 1965), Leilani, Surround in 1977 was already a Cox Plate winner when she won the Oaks, and more recently Verry Elleegant did the Vinery-Oaks double after being in Chris Waller’s stable for barely 2 months!

How crazy is that!

Anyway, this year I’m thinking we might see the rare Adrian Knox-Oaks double, and the stat that came up today was that 70 Adrian Knox winners have contested the Oaks for 16 wins & 20 placings, the most recent being the Godolphin broodmare Colette in 2020, and I think we could see it again in 2026 with Profoundly for the fabled establishment known as the FBI…

FREEDMAN BROTHERS INCORPORATED – Trained by Michael Freeman, co-owned by Lee Freedman, and probably analysed by Richard Freedman, Anthony Freedman and commentated trackside by Emma Freedman as well…

And throw in Mia Freedman as well, even though she’s not related to any of them!

Anyway, I don’t really have anything funny for a horse with a boring arse name like Profoundly, so for no reason here’s a video of a mouse dancing to You Sexy Thing by Hot Chocolate that Crazy Colin sent to me via email…. in 2001!

Another interesting fact – The 2020 Australian Oaks was run on April 11…

The date today?

APRIL 11.

The Deal or No Deal Pick: Litzdeel (No.14, Barrier 7) E/W in the Sydney Cup at Randwick (SR7), 3:15pm AEST

3200m Schweppes Sydney Cup

Trainer: Danny O’Brien, Jockey: Tyler Schiller, 51kg

On to the Sydney Cup, one of the 15 best 3200m staying races in Australia, lagging behind exceptional events like the Adelaide Cup and the Brisbane, but possibly ahead of the Melbourne Cup, and with no confidence whatsoever in these races I’ve gone for the horses with no weight on their back, particularly Litzdeel coming up from Victoria after placing 2nd in the Roy Higgins, and the great part about picking horses sired by Dundeel is you can instantly make some shithouse joke about Deal or No Deal!

Other Crazy Crappy Group 1 Picks

Queen of the Turf: Idle Flyer (No.8, Barrier 4)… may as well make her the John Denver pick again after that win at Rosehill!

Queen Elizabeth: Autumn Glow (No.7, Barrier 2)… the right time of year for a horse named Autumn but weirder things have happened!

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!