THE FORECAST: Roamin’ in Roma

THE FORECAST: ROAMIN’ IN ROMA

It’s a Group 1 race day at my home track Caulfield, yet I won’t be hopping on the rattler and chugging up the Frankston line to soak in the action.

No punters, I’m heading north, then west to the bustling metropolis that is Roma for the time-honoured Roma Cup. I’m not quite sure what I’m going to strike except heat, humidity, red dirt and a truck load of tinnies.

Pray for Shark.

Hydration is important when you’re on the road in sticky unfamiliar territory, but soaking in the local sights is just as important. For me, it’ll be the giant bottle tree – Big Rig parlay, and after I knock that over in an hour I guess I’ll just start punting; especially if old mate Don is lurking around the foliage.

The G1 Thousand Guineas is a ripper. I’m going to buck the recent trends and step around J-Mac and AELIANA (surely the good times stop eventually) and work with a couple at each-way odds. DOMINETTA brings Aeliana form to this race and she was excellent in The Vanity last start. Caulfield on a hot day with a quick deck could play to leaders and Dominetta will be right up on the pace. LOVELYCUT is the other I’m going to try – how good if young Reece Goodwin pops the cherry and lands his first Group 1 winner on Saturday – got to notch that G1 status ASAP in this game.

The G1 Rupert Clark is a ripper and I reckon CLIMBING STAR has found a race she can win having finally drawn a gate. WAR MACHINE is also flying this prep and ran a cheeky race in the Golden Eagle – the word is trainer Mike Moroney likes this horse as much as he does pinot noir.

Sydney lotto continues this week at Newcastle with The Hunter worth a cool million. Team Hawkes have a bloody talented grey horse called BRIARSA that looks really hard to beat here, DANNY’S ST DARCI is a roughie worth throwing into your quaddie as well.

BEST: Caulfield R 1 No. 7 SURE

BEST EACH-WAY: Caulfield R9 No. 6 CLIMBING STAR

BEST ROUGHIE: Newcastle R8 No. 13 DANNY’S ST DARCI