KEY POINTS:
Punters watching on television might have thought it looked like an ordinary ride by Corey Brown on Apache Cat in the big International Sprint in Hong Kong on Sunday night.
Just when it looked like the Aussie star was about to strike on the leaders at the 375m,
Brown appeared to get the flashy sprinter lost behind the leading bunch.
Ten strides later Apache Cat got going again and stormed into a close-up third, looking a good thing beaten.
But trainer Greg Eurell is prepared to blame his horse.
"He keeps hitting a flat spot in his races, that's the second time he's done it lately."
Eurell feels Apache Cat may now need a longer distance than his traditional pet trip of 1200m.
If that's right it's not going to happen immediately.
After his quarantine period back in Melbourne, Apache Cat will be set for the straight 1200m of the Lightning Stakes in the autumn, then take on the Kris Flyer Sprint at the international meeting in Singapore in May.
Then a month or so later it's on to the major English sprints, which have provided rich pickings for Australian sprinters in recent years.
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Here's a statement to stun punters - "more than 30 per cent of all on-course expenditure in New Zealand is on food and beverage and 26 per cent is on wagering."
What?
The public spends more on eating and drinking than on betting while at the races?
Correct.
How much would we all have lost betting on that? And, no, it's not a matter of losing $100 on the punt and drowning your sorrows with $120 of grog and food.
Because if that's true, what happens if you lose $500?
It's much more complex.
It's also fascinating. It came to light when New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing last week launched its Fact Book, 2008.
"We found factual information on racing was fractured and not compiled in any one source, so we put it all in one publication," said NZTR's communications manager Simon Cooper.
Beat this. In greyhound racing 48.9 per cent of expenditure is on food and beverages. The punt takes up 33.3 per cent.
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There have probably never been more jockeys' issues hanging in mid-air than right now.
In Hamilton tomorrow, New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing appeals against what it sees as an inadequate penalty given to Andrew Calder after the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton.
Calder was suspended and fined after causing early interference to Fully Fledged, but not severely enough for a $1 million event in the opinion of NZTR.
Jonathan Riddell and Chris Johnson were charged with failing to take all measures to finish in the best possible placings. The charge against Johnson has been proven and the JCA is awaiting submissions on penalty from NZTR and Johnson's lawyer. Riddell's case is still pending.
And there is no sign yet of when we can expect the Lisa Cropp decision after her case finally wound up on methamphetamine charges.
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No one seems to know how Tabcorp in Australia came up with a heavy track for Te Rapa last Saturday.
Twice during the day Aussie punters were given a downgrade for Te Rapa from dead to slow, then slow to heavy by race 8.
It had more than a few punters baffled as they watched races being run in near record times in bright sunshine.