Originally Posted by
Mighty Atom
Barry, don't know where you get the idea ITMQ is going half pace because if he is I'd love to see him at full speed around a dog track ( I suppose you would classify Globe Derby in the same catergory). If you hadn't noticed ITMQ ran the race some 11 seconds faster with a very fast mile rate ( on a dog track) than either Smoken Up or Sushi Sushi did last night over almost same distance. The difficulty in getting the horse to Sydney and to a lesser degree Melbourne) is something you refuse to acknowledge over there and you expect him to do this continually on a regular basis, which he does. If there is so much money around over here - which there is - why aren't the eastern states horses over here getting a share; I suspect it's got something to do with the distance the same problem ITMQ has but guess what he turns up, you lot don't. Two races over here in a week worth $ 650,000 (big money in anyone's language) and your lot haven't the guts to face up to ITMQ on his home track as G Hall jnr said. Oh, and by the way Gloucester Park is the show place of Australian harness racing, the only true 'ribbon of light' left. Sure, both Menagle and Melton have bigger tracks but they appear to have been built in the middle of a cow paddock and the watering hole in the middle of Melton is something else ( got a fleeting glimpse of it, camera didn't linger on it too long and obviously for good reason, sure it's where the cows come down to drink). Imagine holding these up to the Americans as our show pieces of Australian Harness Racing, good for a laugh I imagine.