Hi All,

Dreamteam is on again, and I have set up a Racing and Sports league for those who are interested in joining.

I have played the past few years and its great fun...except for losing in the finals in straight sets when you finish on top at end of home and away :-)

Hope many of the regulars will be back for more this year.

The great news is that dreamteam allows you to join 5 seperate leagues this season, so no excuses not to be part of the racing and sports one.

Sign up now to secure your spot, and you then have 50 days to relax and choose your final lineup.

Cheers

Paul

Before anyone howls me down, these are my opinions, and Id be happy to hear what other people think too:

HIGHLIGHTS:

So You Think
- took the spring by storm, and was courageous in running 3rd in the cup. Don't believe he had been trained for the 2 miles, the way Bart normally would have, and it was an after thought for him to run, following his cox plate win.

Black Caviar
- Outstanding wins, and the best sprinter I have seen (i am not old enough to have seen Vain)

Americain
- They came, they conquered. Took a risk choosing to run in the Geelong cup as a lead up in order to qualify, but it was once again great form. Won the strongest Melb Cup we have seen for a long time, in impressive fashion. All that while having to acclimatise to our conditions....congrats to all connected with him.

Craig Williams
- Apart from a couple of slaughter rides on Moudre early in the Spring, he had a wonderful Cup week. Not a huge fan of him myself, but credit where credit is due.

Other highlights - Brazilian Pulse, Anacheeva, Maluckyday (great stayer in the making), Descarado (apart from caulf cup, was honest in mackinnon). Zipping (competitive in everything once again!)

DISAPPOINTMENTS:

Typhoon Tracey - did not win a race all spring. What odds for that about the reigning horse of the year back in August!

More Joyous, her trainer and jockey - for hyping her up as a legitimate threat in the cox plate, when there was no evidence to suggest she would run the 2000m whatsoever, let alone beat So You Think or the rest of a quality field. Never heard boo from Gai after the race. At least Nash came out and said she was flogged by SYT.

So You Think - the sale to Coolmore. Very sad to lose him to overseas. Would have liked him to have a crack at a 3rd cox plate. Farewell Champ.

Were Gonna Rock - overhyped peaheart. feel sorry for the poor lady that had the $50,000 free bet on him...never fired a shot.

Faint Perfume/Dariana - each showed promise in one run only, and the rest of their springs were a disaster. Disappointing!

Other disappointments - the weather on derby/cup, channel 7 coverage, daryl braithwaite singing at cox plate (especially when the cox plate horses so close to him)

HORSES TO WATCH FOR 2011:

Apart from the obvious Superstars, we can look forward to Bigelow, Maluckyday, Moudre, Lion Tamer, Launay, Pressday.

Just wondering if anyone has started a league yet for this.

Last season we had a racingandsports league and Id be keen to participate again.

If someone has a league already registered please let me know.

Wondering if anyone knows what happened to Solar Charged?

Betchoice have suspended slipper market and have removed solar charge from the list of horses quoted.

I know the slipper is a long way off but it will be disappointing that such a promising 2yo is likely to miss it.

Now that the Melb and Syd Autumn carnivals are complete, thought would take a look at who were the stars and the disappointments.

Biggest Disappointments
-----------------------

Weekend Hussler - Did nothing....but once again there were many excuses trotted out by mcdonald. Perhaps aiming him at the CC was his complete undoing....very greedy ross, and now you paying for it

Northern Meteor - Looked a worldbeater after its spring form and win on derby day. Showed nothing of that form all autumn, and now he retired. (not many would have predicted that would happen last nov)

Whobegotyou - suffered a setback in melb campaign, and arguably would have won guineas otherwise, but still managed to go winless in the autumn. Yes he had shocking luck, but cost plenty of punters their hard earned.

All Silent - Poor ride by Oliver in doncaster, but still disappointed greatly after all the expectations coming off his brilliant spring victories.

More Joyous - Went missing on her grand final day. No point dominating the leadups, and doing that in the slipper. Was it purely the track on the day or was she overhyped?


Up and Comers
-------------

Metal Bender - Fantastic wins in Rosehill and Randwick Guineas, and another nice effort yday was icing on the cake for the autumn. Looks to have a nice spring coming.

Onemorenomore / Manhattan Rain - Both were impressive in winning the sires and champagne.

Typhoon Tracey / Mic Mac - Both ultra impressive in Melb, and took their form to sydney, and won impressively. Werent taxed, given a big spring in mind.


Autumn Stars
-------------

Takeover Target - amazing and hes 9

Scenic Blast - winning 2 of the 3 legs of melb spring crown.

Theseo - Dominant in melbourne and just nutted by niconero in the Aust cup. The winner has franked that form well and truly overseas since.

Phelan Ready - Another great win on its grand final day, just like in the magic millions.
In the sires he had excuses after being badly galloped on. Perhaps wins the autumn award for being the most under rated star performer. Given all the hype on Real Saga, More Joyous etc, he just blew them away.

Im sure there is many many more I could have added in each category...hopefully some of you can remind me of some obvious ones Ive forgotten.

Some beauties here......but the media sure lapped it up. And so did the punters (me included)


========================================

Trainer Ross McDonald says Weekend Hussler’s opposition in Saturday’s Group 1 Underwood Stakes (1800m) will have to improve six lengths if they’re to beat the champion four-year-old.

After the Hussler drew barrier three for the $352,000 Caulfield feature, his trainer was as bullish as ever about the horses prospects.

“The only trouble for the others is that he’s improved. He’s still only seven and a half out of ten in terms of fitness but they’ll have to improve six lengths to beat him,” McDonald said.

“Caulfield Cup day he’ll be at his top. That’s our major goal.”

+++

"If ever there is a horse to win the big three this is the one," enthused jockey Brad Rawiller. He looks a million dollars and he still has a way to go to reach his peak.

"That is as good a field as you get. He is amazing."


+++


"Just a freak" said trainer Ross McDonald. "I have said all along that this horse can do anything and so far he has done everything I've asked.

"I expect him to just keep achieving everything I set him for because he is a freak."

Spring haul in 2008 stands at:

CAULF CUPS 0
COX PLATES 0
MELB CUPS 0

Im sure rising fast isnt rolling in his grave!

Wonder how many others are out there who are a bit pi$$ed off with ross mcdonald.

Most people in racing could see (or were of the opinion) that after the turnbull he was a huge risk at 2400m, and I personally thought the trainer should have abandoned caulf cup plans and just rested him for the 2040 of the cox plate, which seems one of the weakest editions in its great history.

Weekend Hussler failed his ultimate staying test today, but i think he may have been able to get 2040m around the unique valley circuit, with most of his quality opposition being backmarkers.

Unfortunately we will never know, and now some of the gloss/hype has come off the hussler due to his trainers insistance to prove he was great enough to do what rising fast achieved 54 years ago.

A great pity indeed. At least the husslers staunch supporters have a house or two thanks to his sprinting/mile deeds.

So next time I hear ross mcdonald hyping him up as though unbeatable, I will have to turn the sound down. He's won 7 group 1's and thats a wonderful feat for the horse, but hes not as good as a lonhro, or say a mahogony etc in my humble opinion. yet some scribes declared him the best horse to race in 25 years.

Sorry to sound like im potting him after hes failed, but I like the horse a great deal, im just not a fan of the greedy trainer that hasnt managed his spring program all that well. Im sure all the pre post gamblers who backed him for tens of thousands in the cox are probably agreeing with me right now.

Thats right...next saturday sees the most anticipated, most talked about clash (and probably most controversial lead up), that we have seen since fastnet rock vs alingi, redoutes choice vs testa rossa and then before that the great octagonal v saintly v nothin leica dane races!

They should hopefully see a great crowd turn out for what is melbournes best day of autumn racing. Lets hope the people make the effort to go out to the track.

for mine i have always been in the haradasun camp and I believe he can turns things around and win the guineas. I will be a magnificent clash against miss finland, and we must not disrespect the other contenders either but for mine i really hope the two fancied runners are locked in battle and clear out over the final 300m and fight it out with no excuses for either camp!

Nash just needs to learn from his mistakes last start and not set the horse and impossible task. his sectionals were freakish even though he didnt win the race....so i cant wait to see him unleash that on miss f and leave her in his wake at the 100m and win by 3. anyway thats my thoughts..

who wins people and why?

What a poor state we are in at the moment with our 1600m horses. Its the most open doncaster I can recall. Its 9/1 the field.

There is not one high class horse who has put their claim in to be the next great superstar...and after todays results it looks very worrying about the class of our horses running round today. How "Hes no pie eater" can win a race like today, shows how poor our so called topliners are....whats happened to the sunlines, lonhro's, grand armee's, racing to wins etc and other high quality milers. This years bunch are disgraceful. Maybe we losing too many talented youngsters overseas?
anyway here is my take on this at present.

Desert War: Game old performer and i wish many other horses would try as hard as he did, but its time for someone else to challenge him for the big mile races.

Mentality: Again today proved hes belongs in the top bunch of current milers but its such a weak year its nothing to be proud of. Had his chance last two runs and hasnt wanted to finish off like a winner. Be suprised if he gets it right on doncaster day.

Divine Madonna: Some commentators were raving about her run today but i thought it wasnt spectacular. She was very erratic in the straight and in my mind nowhere near effective in syd and she cannot win the doncaster. Not many win from the tail apart from the mighty super impose and a lucky patezza.

The Free Stater: Nice win today but feel not capable of winning the doncaster even though its a poor year. Good to see him improving though, and he will look a nice weights chance but i dont think he up to the class.

Court Command/Malcolm/Diego Garcia:
All three of these were woeful in their first up runs and i feel they dont justify the wraps that have been on them since day one. Sure Court Command won Golden Rose and Malcom won in cup week in flemington but they wull struggle in aany group races from now.


These below 4 horses look the only ray of sunshine in our upcoming ranks, and I hope one can win the big one and give the racing fans another peoples favorite.

Apache Cat: Going great guns and always been under rated by most racing followers. Seems to be the only one of the proven horses looking likely to be a majot player come race day. Hope he can win and silence any remaining critics.


Haradasun/Miss finland: Could be anything but would need to win, or race very well in the cadbury guineas, and a lot rests on their shoulders. These look the only two capable of being future superstars, but lets see what happens this saturday first.

Mutawaajid: Beat Gold Edition over 1400m, and seems not many horses have been able to ever get close to her let alone win. Highly promising and done nothing wrong. Jockey and stable have huge wraps on it, and could be in the mould of grand armee. Unsure if going for doncaster or if gai fonna target derby with him.


Whats everyone else's take on the quality of the candidates this year compared to in the past?

Anyone know why she has been taken out of colin tidys slipper market. she was previously listed as Not Nominated, but now shes gone completely.

Cant find her on bill hurley either.

Is she injured? Did ows rule out a trip across tasman?

Pleased to hear

Cheers

Snowy