Singapore Nap
26 Aug 2012
Damo (x2)
Race 8 Pan Malaysian Pools Trophy
1200M Polytrack
Stakes $75,000
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Singapore Nap had a disastrous outing with the top 2 favourites running last and 2nd last. Are they really such poor horses? Losing in racing comes with the territory but it would not have raised my eyebrows if one of them ran a placing (common outcome as favourites run a place 50% of the time) or both ran unplaced (it is not unusual if they were in poor form on that day or poorly handicapped which is part and parcel of losing and winning in racing) somewhere in midfield. Are these horses of such poor quality and totally outclassed by this average field. Were all the trackwatchers at Kranji looking at the wrong I.D. numbers on their saddlecloths when they made these 2 the trackwork stars. This phenomenon of hot odds on favourites has been happening too often at Kranji recently. Without any proof I would be foolish to make any direct accusations or even suicidal to even allude or imply anything on conspiracy theories. Perhaps the pace was too hot so both favourites flopped but theory does not stand on firm ground as the top 3 finishers ran an on pace style near the lead.
I understand from the stewards reports that both horses have been impounded for routine examination.
they had an off-day just as tipsters like us).
Perhaps some of these procedures are already in place so I apologise if this is so already. The chemists who analyse these samples should be rotated(perhaps it is being done by STC already) on a yearly basis so that if there is any deviation from industry standard practices this anomaly will not be a cause for concern .
Procedure number 2 .....in cases of favourites running last only or a woeful performance in the last 3 as deemed by the Stewards a 2nd sample should be sent to an independant lab for testing and I would suggest to send them pre-planned doctored positive samples once in a while to keep them on their toes and test their efficiency in detecting prohibited drugs and all these samples should be send blind (so testers don't know which horse it refers to)but numbered for internal reference similar to blind wine tasting.
I personally know of 3 past cases of Trainers being banned or deported in the past history of racing in Singapore but some of their exits were glossed over with enthusiastic Media coverage as hunky dory .....business as normal as if they were planning new business opportunities and returning to their home countries. This Media coverage giving credence to their relocation is sending the wrong message....you transgress Singapore Laws.....you get away scot free(not sure if they were any fines imposed) and we publicise your repatriation(and coat it with stories of change of scenery, home sickness or ill-health in the family) as if nothing untoward has happened.....and you can continue to work in the industry(off the public view i hope at least the racing authorities are informed of the transgressions so they are
alert to any repeat occurences when they go back....according to my sources this is already being done but quietly away from public view). Interestingly enough these errant cases were not caught through normal drug testing procedures but were caught with their pants down in surprise stable raids where drugs, syringes and other incriminating evidence were found in their stables and some were raided due to tip-offs by a disgrunted party. One conclusion from this experience ......the drugs they are using are either undetectable( i hope this is the correct reason) or our procedures in place are inadequate!
Looking at the experiences from the Lance Armstrong case in the field of cycling the way to go is to invest further resources in detecting designer drugs and we should exchange experiences/data/information with other leading racing centres to embrace new tools/procedures to detect this hitherto undetectable drugs. From news reports I gather this is what happened in the cycling case with new advances in detection technology as well as new witnesses who were silent before came forward to testify. Perhaps giving a bounty reward of $10,000 for leads leading to arrests is a step in the right direction. STC should invest resources to keep racing in Singapore pristine clean without even a murmur or rumour of undetected foul play. If I was a clean Trainer I would certainly not be happy if such illegal practices are allowed to continue unchecked. We used to laugh at other less developed racing centres when a class 5 donkey who had not won a single race in the past year suddenly sprouted form and wings (figuratively) and won 3 races in a row and nobody batted an eye lid and business continued as per normal. I hope this anomaly does not happen here due to undetected designer drugs or current procedures being adequate!
I have previously in the past been hankering for STC to commission a vendor to produce Speed Maps for the STC website but to date nothing has happened. The only thing we have that is close to it is the offering by Racing Guide
useful but not always right....something is better than nothing! Anyway I do find it useful and use it on every race day when time constraints do not allow me the luxury of accessing the sectional times of every horse in the race). Punters Way and Victory Trail either do not have the expertise or deem it as an unimportant factor in analysing a race. I believe this is a potent factor why the most ( not all) of the table toppers in the Media Tipster Challenge are from the English stream Tipsters. Congragulations to Mr X for tipping Indulge(starstatz racing as well!) and El Milagro whose chances i wrote off. Even the sectional offered by Punters Way is useless to me as a Pundit as the figures are done at inappropriate distances of 300M , 800M when the industry norm. Sometimes mistakes were evident last week even for the standard 400M opening sectionals. I hope to contact them directly when I am less busy to point out these school boy errors. I implore STC to make a decision on this subject based on what happens in Race 8 on Sunday. I have no issues and I am satisfied with the general work done by Racing Guide and I am pleased with their efforts at innovations but they could be wrong in their Leader table....they have Al's Knight at 64% (thus implying that he will lead if he can get the rails run), Californian Star at 61% (which correctly implies that Al's Knight will not get the rails run), Damo at 28%, Bring More Money at 25% and BM Win at 25%. From the leader analysis we can conclude that this race is run in a slow pace with only 2 front runners. I have a different theory on the Speed Map of this race and I believe the pace will be good with 3 front runners and Al's Knight will not be in the leading bunch . In order they are Front runners ....8-2-7....on pace runners 10-3-1....off pace runners 5-6-9 and 4 will either jump last as a closer or with the off pace bunch! If this race pans out as I have envisaged that this is a good start regarding my moot point that it is time for STC to hire a vendor ( I have a vested interest in applying for the job but I kn
for the Racing Guide offering on their menu. From nbr 8 at 24.07 400M sectionals to number 3 at 24.849 then we have Al's Knight jumping 6th ( barring human error) at 25.1 ( at best) if he chooses to race near the front and worse if he follows the last run pattern in closing style at 25.389. Andrew Frost has tipped al's Knight as his best best bet of the day and Tan Thean Loon has him as 1st pick. Being an arm chair tipster I may be on the wrong track and Al's Knight is certainly the track work star and I am wary as these 2 tipsters watch the training practically everyday so I may hedge my selections in starstatz racing when I receive my track report. Al' s Knight also has the best closing 400M sectionals among this field at 22.959 (the only one below 23.0 secnds) and is definitely a clear and present danger to my pick.
Update on latest tallys ....Andrew Frost is the full card challenge leader with 214 winners from maximum of 670 races at 31.94%and Winner 21 is breathing down his neck in 2nd with 213 winners from maximum at 31.79% . Brian Miller(most improved Tipster for this season) is the best of the rest just off the 30% benchmark in 5th at 199 winners at 29.7%
Singapore Nap still has the best strike rate (albeit on an unfair comparison on single race per day format) at 48.57% with 34 winners/16 placings from 71 selections. In the full card challenge Starstatz Racing is in 3rd with 203 wins from maximum at 30.3%.
|
ow the chances are slim indeed !) to do a Speed Map since non of the race books are willing to do it to the standards set by the HKGJC website featuring "Speed Power". If Al's Knight jumps in the 1st 3 then the urgency is less and I am willing to settle
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.