Have been wondering the same thing. I thought he was treated very harshly, very hard to drive for people how drop a driver after one error. All good drivers can put in one sub par drive.Originally Posted by aussiebreno
Hindsight- should have only been a 7 horse field for sure.
Graham drove Nova the exact way that Gurney had been talking all week......Bart obviously wasn't on the same page as him in the Bris race. Tactics in both races receive a fail from me for what it's worth.
Brendan, as usual, you are on the money with your analysis of the sectionals....but take it a step further in particular with the out of the gate speed, what have they run the first 100?200? metres, that is where the gas gets cooked, I understand that information is not currently available, but is EXACTLY where the unrecoverable pennies get spent.
cheers,
Dan.
Too true Danno. A 400m in 15 and 15 is different to it being covered in 13 and 17.
Cheers Breno!!
Last edited by Richard prior; 12-02-2014 at 09:24 AM.
.Shane stated quite clearly on several occasions EOTE was holding the lead.........that's it!.......so why then, when Avonnova was clearly beaten out of the gate by EOTE did he decide to kick up and put on the speed for the 1st quarter?........was it to keep SSL out 3 wide?? If you want to question anybody's driving tactics, speak to the driver of Avonnova, first and foremost! If he believed keeping SSL out from getting to the death or perhaps leading was the key to winning the race, then he has "rocks in his head"! James Rattray knew his tactics weren't too good, as he quickly went around and got to the death seat for himself.[/QUOTE]
Any chance Graham believed the talk about EOTE was showmansmanship. A lot of things get said during the week that do not eventuate in sport. One got beat 50m and one got beat 20m. I think I am speaking to the driver who got done 50m first.
Last edited by teecee; 12-02-2014 at 02:16 PM. Reason: quote editted
Yes it makes you wonder why the driver of EOTE kept on boring it into his horse after the sizzling 1st quarter, EOTE was a shot duck 600m's from home, Tactically 3 drivers were found out big time, Morris, Graham and Panella, Graham's mission to keep SSL posted 3 wide in the 1st quarter was achieved and clearly he lost his way not long after Plan A was successful, Panella could have easily pulled back and sat on Avonovva's back and give her horse a slight breather but going down to the inside was suicide as the stable mate was always going to compound after burning along and as we know Avonovva just keeps plugging away and he was never going to drop off until well into the straight. Yes Morris definitley gets questioned before Graham and if you take the collision out of the equation, Avonovva finishes even closer to the winner IMHO.
Maybe he did think it was showmanship!..............but he paid the price for thinking it!.........However, when you have a stablemate in the same race that may also want to lead or sit outside you, who are you going to give up to? At a point just after the start, EOTE was the clear leader, and SSL was a neck in front of Avonnova, was EOTE going to give up to Avonnova........I don't think so........was Avonnova going to try and keep the death.....it looks like it...........did SSL "eventually" restrain...........I think so!.........were all 3 horses chances compromised after the 1st quarter...........definitely! When Avonnova was clearly beaten at the start, it was time to re-assess your strategy for the race, as it was apparent pretty early that the talk was being delivered!
My tactics for Avonnova as I "said before the race", were to sit behind EOTE, if EOTE gave up to SSL, make a call when to come off the fence and sit outside it, if EOTE holds out SSL.......you take your chance for a run...........or pull back to the 1-1 if possible, if you really want to be off the fence!........EOTE would have been expected to lead until the home turn, you give yourself every chance to get up the prizemoney list! Yes, I know Avonnova is a high speed plugger, and would prefer to lead or death seat, but in a race where the speed is going to be on you need to be adaptive to circumstances if you don't get what you want!
The 2nd tier horses in the race played into the hands of the elite on this occasion.
Did you notice the fancied runners all decided not to aim up out of the gate.......their decisions were vindicated!
I'm sure David Morris was given very clear instructions from Shane............."hold the lead, and keep on improving your position"............unless SSL crosses Avonnova...............then???
At the time of the collision, SSL was also probing for a run..........not clear cut on that point!........but both horses chance were already reduced!
There is a rule that used to be used a lot , giving your horse every possible chance to win or placed best, there used to be regular 6month suspensions with this rule , to me there is 1 definite breach of the rule maybe 2 or possibly even 3 in the miracle mile
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