I go ok with Kiwis.
They were side by side with us in the war. Nothing about being across the ditch then. They were warriors. Helping their Aussie cousins.
Now there are cousins on every street corner. Cheering the Warriors.
In the racing world, there’s an affinity between New Zealanders and Queenslanders.
We share that laid back attitude. And a love of sticking it up those good folk south of the border.
That’s all well and good. But how the hell do I know what the visitors fancy for the Winter Carnival?
Kiwi Raiders are everywhere. They bring their best over, to pluck our riches. That’s fine, as long as I know the sting is on.
It’s not confined to the feature days. They’ll be winning in the coming weeks. On the Gold Coast, and at Caloundra, and all points in between.
Few will tip them. And connections will be invisible until they strut their stuff at Eagle Farm in a few weeks.
The Kiwi jockeys will be heavily involved. They’ll all be trying to book my man Damian Browne. Larry Cassidy will be engaged for an outsider with form that features duck eggs. His brother Jim will come up, saying he needs some sunshine.
The NZ trainers will say nothing meaningful. You’ll get more out of Easter Island statues. They’ll attend breakfasts, and expensive lunches, and praise Aussie runners that couldn’t beat time with a stick.
I heard John Wheeler at Queensland’s Breakfast with the Stars a few years back. You wouldn’t meet a nicer bloke. Need a tip? Get in the queue.
The rest are the same. Roger James. The mob that trained Ethereal.
They hide around corners, hoping to get an extra point from the bookies.
Beware the smokescreens. Their charges always need another run. They come from the land of mud, but they won’t handle the track. The competition is too hot.
Forget the form over the ditch. They run their best hopes in races on the South Island that we don’t understand. A win by seven lengths is written off as a canter against ‘ordinary opposition.”
Make no mistake, the mob with black and white caps are here to plunder. Ignore them at your peril.
It’s all part of the Winter Carnival fun. Makes it even more special when you find a winner. And that’s the other thing. They hate it when we find them out. Discover their secrets.
Let me know if you’re onto something. It’s the least you can do for a cousin. Thanks Bro.
Hold All Tickets 