October
OctoberMission impossible
It was very sad to see the injuries to both December Draw and My Kingdom of Fife as they were two of the best imports we have seen over here in a long time and the bloke that purchased them is a genius. Their demise was inevitable as they were asked to do mission impossible and win every race they contested, which spells certain disaster for middle-distance types at the top level.
Either Aussie trainers are so sensitive to criticism that they never want to lose a race or they subscribe to the Tommy Smith school of training and refuse to take a gamble on winning big races near the end of campaigns, sacrificing races along the way in doing so.
Another point I want to make is that the Melbourne Cup is a race for mature horses and not young ones. Manighar was ruined going for the cup too early last year and Lucas Cranach is doing the same thing this year.
Griffith (ACT)