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Melbourne Observer - Wednesday, May 22, 2013 - Page 95
Melbourne
Observer Victorian Sport
Showbiz Extra ■ From Page 88
Top 10 Lists
TALENTED GALLOPER HARD TO BEAT ■ Young sprinting sensation, Your Song, is certainly the one to beat in the upcoming Doomben 10,000 and the Stradbroke Handicap over the next couple of weeks. The Doomben 10,000 will be run this Saturday at their picturesque racetrack, with a good field of sprinters engaged. However after his sensational win in the BTC Cup over 1200 metres recently, Your Song, has to be the one to beat. Having only his seventh start, he blitzed possibly the best sprint field you could muster with the exception of Black Caviar and Hay List, winning by a conservative five lengths from Rain Affair, who was a similar distance behind the mighty Black Caviar in her last race in the T.J.Smith Classic. Unlike the T.J. the B.T.C Cup was run on a bog track, and his trainer, Anthony Cummings, said he is better suited on a dry track, where as Rain Affair is noted as one of the best wet trackers in Australia. Not only is Your Song, favourite for the Doomben 10,000, but is also favourite to take out the Stradbroke Handicap on June 8. If he can with the Doomben 10,000 he will probably weighted at around 54 kilos for the Stradbroke. The tragic news after that is that he will be retired to stud a rising four year-old, after the Stradbroke, after only nine starts. Your Song is owned by a Filipino millionaire, and will be let down before starting his stud career. As mentioned earlier his trainer, Anthony is saddened yet again with another loss of a stable star. Cast your mind back a couple of years ago, when Cummings had another star in the stable under the banner of Smart Missile, who Cummings and his rider Glen Boss, said at the time that Smart Missile was one of the best of three-year-olds going around. Although failing to win a Group One event, he was retired to stud after only six starts. Your Song re-
Ted Ryan
● Efficient Photo by SLICKPIX, phone 9354 5754
minds me very much in stature and looks, to the champion galloper, So You Think, although a lighter colour. So You Think was prepared by Anthony's father, Bart, winning two Cox Plates, the first of those as a three yearold at only his fifth start. So You Think was by the higly regarded sire, High Chaparral, while Your Song is by the exciting Australian sire and former top sprinter, Fastnet Rock. Have a look at some of the stars sired by Fastnet Rock in the past few years. The filly regarded as the best in 30 years, Atlantic Jewel, who hasn't raced for several months, is regarded by top judges as the best filly in the past 30 years, while others like Irish Lights, Mosheen, Nechita, Foxwedge and Super Cool come to mind. As I wrote last week racing is the poorer for the loss, of Black Caviar, Pierro, Smart Missile, All Too Hard,
and now Your Song, possibly More Joyous, and Hay List certainly robs racing of some great gallopers, those that attract the racing crowds. Back to the Doomben 10,000, where Your Song is favourite in front of local star, Buffering, who missed the kick in the BTC. Others who will contest the 10,000, are the Peter Snowden galloper, Epaulette, who is racing very well, then Rain Affair, who has been easy in the markets, and the consistent mare, Arinosa. The John'O'Shea mare, Sea Siren, who has yet to put her best foot forward is out the gate. \
Living legends
■ Some of the former stars of the turf have joined some of yesteryear champions at Living Legends at Sunbury. Those who have joined in recent times are the former Hong Kong champion,
Good Ba Ba, who raced her recently under the care of Ric Hore-Lacy, a winner of three Group One International mile races at Sha Tin. Others include two of Lloyd Williams's team, Efficient and Zipping. Efficient won the 2007 Melbourne Cup, while Zipping, one of the most honest performers to race finished fourth a couple of times in a Melbourne Cup, won four Sandown Classics, and ran second to So You Think, in the Cox Plate. They join the likes of Apache Cat, Better Loosen Up, 2000 Melbourne Cup winner, Brew and Bullish Luck.
● So You Think Photo by SLICKPIX, phone 9354 5754 With them are the weight in check, and a 1995 Melbourne few battling trainers, Cup winner, Dor- who just love it. iemus, dual Cox I attend a number of Plate winner, Fields picnic meetings and it Of Omagh, 1997 is a great day out, esMelbourne Cup win- pecially places like ner, Might And Healesville where Power, 1994 Caul- you can camp up the field Cup winner, trees with your hamper Paris Lane, top sprinter, Regal and have a great day Roller, 1999 Mel- out. One such person bourne Cup winner, Rogan Josh, Bart who dominates the picCummings last win- nic scene in the riding ner, and two interna- and training ranks is tional great sprinters Adam Bodey. Bodey has won his Sacred Kingdom, and Silent Witness. 13th straight picnic While a good friend jockeys premiership, of mine, Keith his 35 wins was almost Faulkner, has retired double that of runnerthe strong stayer, up, Clay Beasy on 19. Zavite, to the home. Bodey rode an asIf you have a bit of tonishing 35 winners time on your hands slip from a total of 131 up and have a look at rides. the scene at Sunbury. An average of It is a magnificent around 33 per cent; a set up, and only an hour out of Melbourne, if great effort, although that; and you are help- fields are smaller. He is also a trainer ing a good cause, plus there is plenty of enter- of the picnic gallopers. Well Done Adam. tainment for the children. Check them out on the internet on www. livinglegends.org.au
Bodey dominates
● Zipping Photo by SLICKPIX, phone 9354 5754
■ Picnic racing doesn't get the plaudits it deserves as a lot of ex-race horses and jockeys who find it hard to keep their
● Adam Bodey
THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR: The Complete Second Season. THE ALFRED HITCHCOCK HOUR: The Complete Third Season. HEMINGWAY & GEKKHORN [HBO/Series/Nicole Kidman, Clive Owen]. THE GRAHAM KENNEDY SHOW (1973-1974). BECKER: Series One. TOP GEAR: Season 19. TRUE BLOOD: Season 5. NEWSROOM: Season One. LORD PETER WIMSEY: The Complete Third Series. RESTORATION MAN: The Complete First Series. DOCTOR WHO: Series 7 - Part 2. MIDSOMER MURDERS: Season 15 (Part One). THE HISTORY OF AUSTRALIAN CINEMA. CELLULOID HEROES. TOP BLU-RAY RENTAL & SELLERS: 1. LIFE OF PI - 3D + Blu-Ray [Drama/Adventure/Irrfan Khan, Suraj Sharma]. 2. THE HOBBIT: An Unexpected Journey 3D + Blu-Ray [Fantasy/Adventure/Martin Freeman]. 3. SKYFALL [Action/Adventure/Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Judi Dench]. 4. GANGSTER SQUAD [Crime/Drama/Action/ Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling]. 5. WRECK-IT RALPH - Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray [Animated/Family/John C. Reilly, Jack McBrayer]. 6. HITCHCOCK [Drama/Anthony Hopkins, Helen Mirren, Scarlett Johansson, Danny Huston]. 7. QUARTET [Comedy/Drama/Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Billy Connolly]. 8. LES MISERABLES [Musical/Drama/Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway]. 9. ARGO [Thriller/Ben Affleck, Alan Arkin, John Goodman]. 10. TWILIGHT SAGA: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 [Drama/Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson]. Also: Trouble With The Curve, Parental Giudence, This is 40, Alex Cross, Schindler's List, Rise of the Guardians, The Man With The Iron Fists, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Red Dawn, The Intouchables. In 3D + Blu-Ray Combo: Top Gun, Dredd, Frankenweenie, Shrek, Kung Fu Panda. NEW RELEASE HIGHLIGHTS ON BLU-RAY THIS WEEK: JACK REACHER [Action/Tom Cruise, Rosamund Pike]. CITIZEN GANGSTER [Action/Drama/True Storu/ Scott Speedman, Kelly Reilly]. APARTMENT 1303 [Horror/Rebecca De Mornay]. TRUE BLOOD: Season 5. NEWSROOM: Season One. DOCTOR WHO: Series 7 - Part 2. - James Sherlock ■ From Page 88
Bryan Forbes Hawkins, a producers co-operative called Allied Film Makers, which helped finance League Of Gentlemen, one of Britain's biggest hits in 1960. Mr Forbes would then form Beaver Films Limited with close friend Attenborough, a company that would produce three of their best films, The Angry Silence, Whistle Down The Wind, and Seance On A Wet Afternoon. Last, but not least, Mr Forbes had an acting career that began in 1946 (in a short film entitled Smith, Our Friend), and lasted four decades (his last appearance was in the 1987 TV movie December Flower). Notable films include The Small Back Room (1949) (****½) (directed by Powell/ Pressburger); The Million Pound Note (1954); An Inspector Calls (1954) (starring Alastair Sim); The Colditz Story (1955) (****½); Quatermass 2 (1957) (***½); I Was Monty's Double (1958); Yesterday's Enemy (1959) (****) (starring Stanley Baker); The Angry Silence (1960); League Of Gentlemen (1960); The Guns Of Navarone (1961) (***½); A Shot In The Dark (1964) (*****); The Slipper And The Rose (1976); International Velvet (1978); and the likeable British film Restless Natives (1985) (***). Mr Forbes's individualistic approach will be missed, and a particular quote of his sums up so many of today's Hollywood-style film-makers, "If you treat the production of films like the production of shoes, you end up with Hush Puppies." - Aaron Rourke