The good horses are back, which means the armchair experts are well and truly out of hibernation.
The team at Punt Drunk have been scoping near and far for people potting jockeys, especially the back-and-forth between a prominent owner and a Melbourne Cup-winning rider.
John O’Neill v Mark Zahra
No, this is not an undercard fight for Wrestlemania 40, but more so one of the more prominent owners in Australia potting Melbourne Cup-winning hoop Mark Zahra.
On his weekly radio time slot, John O’Neill took aim at Zahra for his ride on Bold Bastille in the Blue Diamond Prelude (Fillies).
Bold Bastille was rolled as an odds-on favourite at Caulfield last weekend, and her owner blamed it all on Zahra.
“That horse has trotted up 100 per cent fine; I will tell you what, it was a shithouse ride. It was absolutely ludicrous,” said O’Neill.
“It was horrendous, I don’t know what he was doing.”
Now, potting a jockey cannot be a smart business decision, surely?
Especially when Zahra is on a holiday in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl…
His response all over his Instagram story was top-tier.
O’Neill quickly came out and said it was just a couple of close friends having a bit of fun… usually seems that way to the person who takes the L.
Kayla Crowther v Terry McAuliffe
Now, this one certainly felt a lot more tongue-in-cheek.
After Kayla Crowther steered Miss Subtly to victory in race six at Gawler on Wednesday, South Australian legend Terry McAuliffe was quick to pick at Crowther’s tactics during the win.
Stay in your lane, @MaccasMock
@KaylaCrowther2 pic.twitter.com/g0RetrZuhx
— Racing.com (@Racing) February 14, 2024
Crowther didn’t take the bait, instead putting the winning result back to McAuliffe, proving it was a good ride.
It was probably an exchange that John O’Neill could learn a thing or two from.
Taranaki – A punter’s worst nightmare
In light of certain events at Ipswich on Thursday, some punters who subscribe to the adage ‘odds on, look on’ are undoubtedly feeling validated.
Meanwhile, those who regularly include short-priced favourites in their multis are likely reassessing their strategies after witnessing yet another disappointing performance.
Taranaki, trained by Chris Waller, was heavily backed as the -500 favourite but failed to deliver victory for the fourth consecutive race.
Despite being touted as a strong contender with odds of -125, -357.14, -285.71 and -500 in his past four starts, the three-year-old son of Tarzino has yet to secure a win.
Moreover, he has failed to make the places in any of this last three outings, leaving punters questioning his potential and their future bets.
What an absolute cat.
Who says punters aren’t resilient? Taranaki (R2 @IpswichTurfClub today) has been beaten at the odds of $1.80, $1.28, $1.35 & $1.20 at its last 4 runs, in maidens. It has also been unplaced at the last 3 of those. Surely now holds a record for most consecutive losses at odds on.
— Glenn Munsie (@MunsieGlenn) February 15, 2024
About Punt Drunk
Welcome to Punt Drunk – our weekly column covering all the latest horse racing and punting controversies, dramas and headline news. Have a story or gripe or issue that just grinds your gears? Just hit us up in the comments or contact us page and our jaded, punt hardened Punt Drunk staff will give it the Punt Drunk treatment it deserves. Don’t expect pleasantries or typical racing media fanboy gloss from Punt Drunk – we’re on the punt and we don’t have time to bullshit; the next is about to jump…
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