Chris Alford is off to a flying start for the season with a 44% winning strike rate from his 34 drives so far
http://www.harness.org.au/ausbreed/r...ins?d=10092018
Especially amazing when his main source the Stewart stable are taking a break
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Chris Alford is off to a flying start for the season with a 44% winning strike rate from his 34 drives so far
http://www.harness.org.au/ausbreed/r...ins?d=10092018
Especially amazing when his main source the Stewart stable are taking a break
I was nearly going to title this topic as "Does Chris Alford Think He is God?". Last race at Hamilton trots today he has a horse back from a spell and although it has trialled extremely well, he gets involved in a speed duel having to go 25.9 for the first quarter to hold the lead. I'm not sure if his ego has got so big that he expects everyone to lay down in order for him to dictate to them but surely he knows the form of the other runners and traits of the other drivers that he should have know he was going to be pressured for the lead and therefore had a plan 'B'. If it were a Junior driver, he/she would be still sitting in the Stewards Room being grilled harder than a T Bone steak. Time will tell if he had a case to answer but bad decisions for a driver of his calibre are a bad look to most onlookers.
Although I agree that a driver has very likely got it wrong when he goes a 25.9 Q1, maybe he thought Wardan Express was his danger and he could not afford for it to get any easy lead - it would have been correct as after doing all that early work Wardan has come home the winner. Even though it got a cushy fence trail mid race, I was still surprised to see it finish it off, although everyone would have expected the fav to tire
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...ic#HMC24091801
Oh please....
A whole lot more questions to be asked if he meekly hands up to the second fav and it boots away and brains them. Alford was entitled and all things considered I'd say expected to lead, Craven was entitled to challenge and then got a fortuitous trail when he couldn't lead, fav then copped a little more pressure in the run and was found wanting in the end, whilst Cravens horse with a second wind flew home, it happens. Cravens horses flying here on the day, and been going exceptionally well all month, probably only thing wrong here is by the last the Stewart and Craven runners should have been closer in the market.
You use the word 'meekly' to exaggerate your point. Many horses taken on in an early speed duel go a bit harder in order to 'gas' the outside runner then hand up especially when there is a sprint lane on offer later on. If Wardan Express can come from three fence after going the early burn, why couldn't Alford's horse be effective from behind the leader? A rather weak response on your behalf. You seem to have taken affront to someone making a negative comment about the country's best driver. We all know his record but as I asked earlier, would there be an outrage if a Junior or lesser qualified driver had driven that horse, that way?
Only if the Junior had been on Wardan and kept challenging the way Craven did but then he would have been off the hook if he got up a won the way Matty did.
I think it makes a bit of difference - who is inside of who, if Alford had been outside of Wardan then it is definitely questionable (unless you win)
And your point is Diablo? We all know Chris Alford and the Emma Stewart stables record, it includes many short priced, first up going hard early, holding the lead, or in the middle stages to get the lead, running fast time and winning often by open lengths. Yet when one gets beaten by likely a better horse on the day and perhaps a better drive you come out with a thread titled Chris Alford and "does Chris Alford think he's God". Maybe you should have titled your post Matty Craven "gee looks like he had the fitter horse and got the better of Alford in the last at Hamilton today" or do you expect Alford to have a 100% strike rate!
You didn't ask if a junior driver would be grilled you said they would be. You said strike rate doesn't matter but that Alfords strike rate might be a little higher if he showed better judgement. One race where maybe he could have done things differently and his strike rate isn't good enough for you? No doubt he expected a challenge for the lead, does anyone expect that he should have known that challenge would result in a 25.9 quarter before it was run? If Alford and Craven had persisted at that speed, or one and a junior, or two juniors beyond the quarter then they would have been called in, but they wernt juniors and they weren't called in. Maybe the result would be different if he handed up, maybe it wouldn't but how do you know better then the driver and the stable that a horse that has won 5 times leading will be better if it takes a sit? Time will tell if he has a case to answer, I'd say it already has, the stewards haven't queried the drive, and I don't expect the Stewart stable will be sacking him any time soon.
Are you talking through your pocket Diablo, I haven't seen you wrap a winning Alford drive, just this one where he hasn't won, didn't you get the memo "be kind to your driver" ?
I don't punt so no chance I'm talking through my pocket, but my last word on this: good on you Matty Craven, you've got your team flying!
Previous record is totally irrelevant. That doesn't excuse bad judgement or a brain explosion. There is no need for me to rap any C Alford drive. If you want to give the guy a rap then start your own thread The point is about his drive in this particular race. Punters make this sport go around and when they see very short priced favourites continuously get rolled and see ill judged tactics etc, they tend to think there is something untoward going on and they stay away. I don't talk through my pocket. I see enough bad drives and bewildering results to know that's part of this sport and I also read about the poor excuses offered up to Stewards which they swallow and expect punters to accept.
I think the drives that most discourage punters are the ones where the driver never puts the fav into the race
Horses are not motor cars, they have a brain and communicate with drivers, Drivers are not robots they have brain and communicate horses, the wind does not always blow in the same direction and the sun and the moon are constantly moving in relation to earth which is constantly turning around it's own axis.
There are not many people who drive as a well as Chris Alford, I would say in Australia probably about 15 maybe 20 drivers are at that level fairly consistently.
BUT all drivers make mistakes, the difference is how often and how big a blunder and that is where the best of our drivers make their mark.
I understand punters get upset when their cash changes homes, but hey it's racing AND punting, when one punter loses another wins and there can only be one winner in each race.
Chris Alford in a great driver, is he perfect?? of course not. Its always easy to criticise others, quite a different task to be better than them yourself.
Spot on
A bit surprised that a 25.9 Q1 did not result in any questions or a mention in the Stewards Report
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/ste...&fromstate=vic
(Race 8)
What were the majority of the drivers in the 2nd Derby heat thinking?
Giving Natalie that sit behind the leader AND a whole lap before she had to come out on Im Another Masterpiece
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...s/?mc=BA190119
I guess you could argue Puppet should have made an earlier move, certainly would have been more consistent with his and the Stewart stables usual driving patten except they didn’t have the leader. But yes Muscle Factory’s Menangle run may have put some doubts in other drivers minds about occupying the death, and had he gone earlier Centanario would have been giving cover to Lochinvar Art who certainly didn’t want the death and argueably went even better then Muscle Factory at Menangle, or Im Another Masterpiece if Nat opted for the one one instead of posting him if he’s come around earlier.
Nat likely gets the last laugh either way, and probably was having a bit of a chuckle to herself well before them, though going earlier may have given Centenario a better option for making top four but we’ll never know.
Would it simply be the Kima factor (she has ousted Salted Caramel as the flavour of the Summer) for why Michael Bellman did not retain the drive on Idle Times in R1 last night
(Of course he simply may not have been available)
Kima and concession claim I’m thinking Kev. Horse is a C2 and it was a C1 race
But the results don't show any concession for her
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...19#BAC19011904
M B had nearly a full card of drives at Mount Gambier last night.
Wayne on the money then. It’s a little confusing as horse is a C2 and race a C1 but looking closer was a final of a C1 series so heat winners C2s but no claim required.
“Gavin and Chris drive extremely well because they are extremely good horsemen, and why shouldn’t they be?” Graeme said. “I remember my mother going crook at me because I would let them drive fast work at home when they were seven or eight years old."
https://www.thetrots.com.au/news/art...ennys-success/
Rod Petroff would have to be disappointed at not getting the drive on Dance Craze in the GSS as he had the previous 9 starts for 4 wins and 3 seconds
I am sure Mark Purdon would be pretty happy (as would the connections) with his 1 from 1. An absolute gem of a drive as was his drive on Carlas Pixel half an hour earlier. With his success as a trainer, it's easy to forget how good this bloke is as a driver. Last night, he gave everybody watching a reminder!
Brilliant move by Greg Sugars enabled Little Peanut to win the feature race at Maryborough today and pay $19.50
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...19#UKC31011901
Training must be easy
Andy Gath takes 3 horses to Maryborough today for 3 wins
Emma Stewart takes 4 horses to Kilmore tonight for 4 wins
And as an encore 2 wins from 2 starters for the Gath's at Mildura today.
$1.40 and $1.20 - you had to figure they were certs for the stable to make Mildura their meet today instead of Shep tonight
Edit : maybe they don't patronize Shep - surprised to see our 2nd leading stable not in the top 10 at Shep
I cannot see where Kima Frenning is driving tomorrow night?
Maybe she is stable rep for Max Delight at Menangle?
Ours is a complicated game sometimes (especially for casual punters?)
The Gath's had Night Spirit in the 2nd Breeders heat tonight at Shep
Kate usually drives him but instead was on the winner for the Stewart stable
Sure the Stewart runner was considered and proved to be the better prospect
And the Stewart stable are aware that when qualifying multiple runners they will be needing multiple drivers
But it isn't like Kate is a freelancer - Andy and Kate are a partnership and wouldn't an owner expect her to be on their starter
I suppose it gives even the casual punter a clear indication who not to bet on :confused:
I was suprised at Night Spirits odds of $190
2 starts ago he finished 4th in the Gp1 Vicbred final
Thoughts?
Greg Sugars drove in the last at Maryborough today at 5.03pm
He is driving in the first at Ballarat tonight at 6.24pm
The trip is 54min to Ballarat and so I would say close to the hour with the track on the other side of town
He would have been running out of Maryborough at 5.10 at the earliest and he will be running into Ballarat to make it for the warm up
I noticed it only because I was looking up to see if today will be one of those rare days that Chris Alford does not drive a winner and the answer is yes as he struck out at Maryborough and is not driving at Ballarat
Nah. He'll be right. 54 mins from Carisbrook to the track in Ballarat.
A banned substance detected in the urine sample taken from driver Mark Reed at Gloucester Park during track work on
Wednesday 11 September 2019 has resulted in a suspension of licence for 12 months, effective 1 November 2019.
http://www.harness.org.au/media-room...?news_id=41756
Followers of Kate Gath would have done well to take the Daily Double on the features at Geelong tonight
It was a Kate double and paid $194
Phoenix Prince broke the 2570m Tk Rec in the Cup with Emma Stewart's 3 runners filling the Trifecta
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...s/?mc=GE231119
A good variety of trainers in the winners circle for the big card at Melton on Saturday night - some of whom we don't often see winning in town
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...s/?mc=MX141219
As I have posted elsewhere, anybody following Michael Bellman's drives in the last couple of weeks would be well in front
Just notched up a $53 winner at Melton
http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...20#MXM04012006
Race 2 Pinjarra today. 7 starters
6 by the same sire - Follow The Stars
1 by Pet Rock
5 trained by the same Trainer Peter Anderson
5 Owned by the same owner Alwood Stud
What are the odds of a Sire/trainer/owner filling the trfecta?
I saw this story about the Trittons going to the US on Racenet (not somewhere I normally look but Harness Cafe supplied the link)
https://www.racenet.com.au/news/star...cials-20200121
What I found most interesting is the fact that this harness story on a gallops site could garner 50 comments in just a couple of days - the comments make interesting/sad reading
Comments on social media are f'd and sadly they represent the communities attitudes. Punters.com Facebook is littered with Cheats on seats comments at every chance people get on a harness article. Today Peter Moody rumoured to make a comeback and 99% are in support.