Well I'll let you oldies tell the tale.

I was still in Primary School at the beginning of that season and wasn't following horse racing.

I remember Battle Heights. Won the Metrop aged 10. Seemed to be part of the furniture.

Game????

Game was the  NZ WFA star when I first develop an interest.
A handsome black gelded son of Faux Tirage, he was a front runner with the courage you could only love and admire......Vo Rogue type without the big leads.
Game by name and game by nature was the racecaller's cry and while it sounds pretty corny now, it was absolutely true.
He was a late bloomer so his record mightn't show how good he was.

I was working with an Aussie at the time who would regularly talk about 'dashing Roy Higgins'.
Roy came over to ride him in an invitation race.....Lester Piggott won the race on  the fav Sailing Home.......Piggott hit the mare twice......Game was 2nd but Higgins really laid into him with the stick.....a la Light Fingers......couldn't count the blows.....what a contrast! ........nothing that dashing were my thoughts about Roy Higgins.
He did acknowledge Game's courage who was racing in bandages by them and a little past his best.

Just on Apollo Eleven ......his win in The Auckland Cup was his 4th win in around 40 starts so he wasn't a lot of peoples favourite.......if my memory is right he wasn't being tried as a stayer......more around the mile.
He won the equivalent of a mid level benchmark the week before The Auckland Cup with a huge finish and it all really took off  from there.
He was about the 4th fav in the Auckland Cup.

Who would have thought he was going to come here and rain on Gunsynd's parade?

We might actually get not imports this year so it could be an “Aussie “ MC

Great effort pwa, certainly a cracking good field

But the real question is how Peter Mair would tell us that 18 is too big a field and which 'no hoper' he would leave out   

Thanks for bumping this up Auth.

I will prepare and publish he field next Sunday.

Looks like COVID combined with a few good local hopes have turned the tide against the internationals this year.

Who’s this Authorized bloke😱

I do know he loves a tweet.   

Despite the title of the thread, I can't go past yet another Northern 3 year old.


I backed Surprise Baby last year but the slow tempo killed his chances.


He seems to be one of those horses that's always finishing on but never salutes.


I'm going to give him a miss this year. 


Prince of Aaran will be very hard to beat - the new Red Cadeaux. 


I give King of Leogrance a chance.  He's my roughie.


AVD can certainly win but the weight and a hard track will make it tough for him.


I don't think Verry Eleegant will get the trip but if she does she'll be hard to beat. 


Same for Russian Camelot. 


Steel Prince will give some cheek and will get the journey. 


Persan may give some also.


But Tiger Moth looks the goods.  His last start win was a beauty and he showed that acceleration I'm looking for. 


Warning my saver and biggest threat.


21 to beat 19 12 and 14. 


Haven't done anywhere near the work I usually do so you can probably dismiss all of the above. 

Geez, you where a late starter, I was handling the school SP by first year high school.   

One of my mates was the High School bookie.

One year a teacher confiscated all his books so he declared Force Majeure and just kept all the money   

Just got beaten but got the Tri.     

Not a good result for The Aussies.

Persan "wins".

Verry Elleegant has done exceptionally well to come 7th. Very negative ride. Deserved what it got. I know he is in a purple patch at the moment but that jockey has never worked for me. Waller has better jockeys to choose from and I'm sure he is thinking that today.

Year	1st	Actual Finish	2nd	Actual Finish	3rd	Actual Finish	Actual Winner
2020	Persan	5	Verry Elleegant	7	Russian Camelot	8	Twilight Payment
2019	Vow And Declare	1	Surprise Baby	5	Youngstar	20	Vow And Declare
2018	Youngstar	6	Runaway	19	Ace High	20	Cross Counter
2017	Cismontane	13	Amelies Star	14	Boom Time	15	Rekindling
2016	Jameka	15	Insufficient Starters		Insufficient Starters		Almandin
2015	Prince Of Penzance	1	Criterion	3	Gust Of Wind	6	Prince Of Penzance
2014	Signoff	4	Precedence	6	Fawkner	10	Protectionist
2013	Fawkner	6	Ethiopia	7	Super Cool	9	Fiorente
2012	Precedence	9	Niwot	15	Lights Of Heaven	16	Green Moon
2011	Niwot	8	Precedence	11	The Verminator	13	Dunaden
2010	Maluckyday	2	So You Think	3	Zipping	4	Americain
2009	Shocking	1	Master O'Reilly	4	Alcopop	6	Shocking
2008	Viewed	1	Master O'Reilly	4	Moatize	6	Viewed
2007	Efficient	1	Zipping	4	Dolphin Jo	5	Efficient
2006	Maybe Better	3	Zipping	4	Mahtoum	6	Delta Blues
2005	Makybe Diva	1	On A Jeune	2	Leica Falcon	4	Makybe Diva
2004	Makybe Diva	1	Zazzman	3	Elvestroem	4	Makybe Diva
2003	Makybe Diva	1	She's Archie	2	Pentastic	4	Makybe Diva
2002	Mr Prudent	2	Pentastic	5	Rain Gauge	8	Media Puzzle
2001	Rain Gauge	6	Sky Heights	8	Reenact	9	Ethereal
2000	Yippyio	2	Freemason	6	Celestial Show	7	Brew
1999	Rogan Josh	1	Lahar (DH)	3	Zazabelle (DH)	3	Rogan Josh
1998	Tie The Knot	6	Skybeau	8	Perpetual Check	9	Jezabeel
1997	Might And Power	1	Markham	3	Linesman	5	Might And Power
1996	Saintly	1	Skybeau	3	Nothin' Leica Dane	5	Saintly
1995	Nothin' Leica Dane	2	Coachwood	5	Beaux Art	6	Doreimus
1994	Paris Lane	2	Alcove	5	Grass Valley	8	Jeune
1993	Frontier Boy	5	Tennessee Jack	6	Our Pompeii	14	Vintage Crop
1992	Subzero	1	Star Of The Realm	7	London Bridge	9	Subzero