FAVORITES FARE EVEN WORSE AT THE MAJOR QLD PROVINCIAL TRACKS
PUNTERS must be terrible judges at the Gold Coast Saturday and Sunshine Coast Sunday meetings in Queensland when a closer look is taken at the diabolical results of the favorites.
Only eight of 32 favorites were successful at the Sunshine Coast during August while the Gold Coast fared marginally better with 11 of 38 saluting. Short priced favorites have terrible records at both venues.
Only one favorite managed to salute at each of the Sunday meetings at the Sunshine Coast on August 16 and 23. None of the eight were successful at the Gold Coast on August 22 and only one of eight arrived on August 8.
Since the new controversial Cushion Track was opened at Toowoomba on July 11 there have been 57 races run in the twilight timeslot. Sixteen favorites have been successful.
KATSIDIS COSTLY FOR FAVORITE BACKERS AT SATURDAY BRISBANE MEETINGS
STATHI Katsidis has been riding plenty of winners since his comeback but statistics show that favorite punters who followed him at the Saturday meetings in Brisbane in August would have lost heavily.
Katsidis rode at four of the five major Brisbane meetings during the month (he was in Sydney for the other). Six of the seven favorites that he was aboard were beaten. The only one to salute was Chilled at $2.70 at Eagle Farm on August 8.
Chilled was one of four winners Katsidis rode at the Saturday meetings. The others started at $4.60, $7 and $12. The majority of his winners since returning have been at the mid-weeks or the Sunshine Coast Sundays.
ONLY ONE IN THREE FAVORITES SUCCESSFUL AT BRISBANE IN AUGUST
Only ONE IN THREE favorites at the major Saturday race meeting in Brisbane during August was successful. Only 13 favorites saluted from the 40 races run.
The worst days for Queensland punters were Doomben (August 15) when one favorite was successful on the eight-race card and Eagle Farm (August 8) when two of the eight scored.
Punters were robbed of another successful favorite on the August 8 meeting when Mazuka ($3.70fav) finished a close second to Crackajack Fortune, the roughest winner of the month at $41. This was the controversial race where Crackajack Fortune secured a ‘flying start’ while the rest of the field was still in the barriers.
Supporters of the decision by stewards not to declare a ‘no race’ were notably silent after Crackajack Fortune drew one at Doomben last Saturday but didn’t get the same flying start and had to kick through on the inside to lead - then struggled to finish fourth.
Since this web-site was launched we have received dozens of e-mails complaining about the lack of stewarding at some south-east Queensland tracks. As a result we have decided to compile a statistical survey of how the favorites fare at the major venues and will provide the results on a monthly basis. That was you can decide for yourselves whether it is the punters who are the bad judges.
