It’s Friday, which means we are only one sleep away from the greatest day on the Queensland racing calendar – Stradbroke Day. On today’s edition of Punt Drunk, we chat about the Stradbroke Calcutta, some of the great curses in racing and a potential nightmare for a race caller this weekend.
MONEY WELL SPENT?
If you have ever been involved in a Calcutta of any sort, you will know what we are talking about here. Drinks, big money and good food tends to be the order of the evening, and Thursday night’s Stradbroke Calcutta in Brisbane was no different. While we won’t harp on about the beef cheeks or Moreton Bay bug, we do want to bring up a bit of a concern.
Of course, to some people, money is no object, so four- or even five-figure bids on horses in these types of events are no worries at all. On Thursday evening, Eleven Eleven was ‘sold’ at the Calcutta for $30,000, with the winner set to receive just over $70,000. At the moment, Eleven Eleven is a $6 chance with online bookmakers. Quick and simple math tells you that if the winning bidder had their $30,000 at $6, they would profit $150,000. We aren’t telling anyone how to spend their hard-earned, of course, but gee…
READ: STRADBROKE HANDICAP RUNNER-BY-RUNNER PREVIEW
PUNTING CURSES
Punting curses; we all have them. Whether it is calling a horse a moral, having a mate back the same horse as you, or the pre-race vet check, we all have our pet hates. The vet-check curse is the one we want to bring to everybody’s attention today. Prior to a Group 1 race, each runner in the field is vetted in the days leading up. Now, without having the stats to back us up, we aren’t sure that we have ever seen a horse fail a vet check on Friday, pass fit on Saturday morning and then win the race on Saturday afternoon.
Unfortunately for people who are heavily invested in Saturday’s J.J. Atkins fancy Political Debate – i.e. us – the news on Friday morning that he failed his vet check is not the news we wanted to hear. Hopefully, the curse will be broken.
READ: J.J. ATKINS BETTING PREVIEW
Update @QRICStewards on a key chance in tomorrow’s JJ Atkins at Eagle Farm. pic.twitter.com/BeloGrsyjm
— Andrew Bensley (@AndrewBensley) June 10, 2022
GOOD LUCK
Racing calling is no doubt hard enough at the best of times. Similar colours, tricky names, big fields – all obstacles for the people behind the binoculars. This could be the best – or worst – we have seen, though.
This Sunday, at Gowran Park in Ireland, Sierra Nevada and Sierra Nevada will go head-to-head in a maiden. We would love to know how the caller will separate the pair. We can already imagine the call going something like this.
“Sierra Nevada has jumped well from the inside and being sent forward, while Sierra Nevada has missed the start.”
Fair dinkum, leave us out.
Good luck to the commentator! Sierra Nevada (GB) and Sierra Nevada (USA) both entered up in the same maiden at Gowran Park on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/EmL8DPHaV6
— Aidan (@Aidan_m_) June 8, 2022
About Punt Drunk
Welcome to Punt Drunk – our daily 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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