Balaklava Cup - August 31

[OnSong]

Who's going this year? Get around it!

MUNCE HEADLINES 2011 BALAKLAVA CUP MEDIA LAUNCH

ONE of Australia’s most decorated jockeys, Chris Munce, will be a guest speaker at this year’s Balaklava Cup Media Launch event to be held on Friday, July 22, at the Lakes Resort Hotel, West Lakes.
The launch is a prelude to the 2011 Balaklava Cup on August 31, which is arguably the state’s fastest growing race meeting.
Boasting a record including a Melbourne Cup (1998), Cox Plate (2004), Caulfield Cup (2010) and two Golden Slipper Stakes wins (1998, 2004), Munce is one of only a few riders to achieve the ‘grand slam’ of Australian thoroughbred racing.
His hunger to win still lingers.
“I just love race riding, it’s as simple as that,” Munce said.
“I think riding winners and being successful is what I do and trying to consistently be riding winners all the time is what keeps me going.”
As guest speaker at the media launch, Munce said he would be relating tales from those lofty career highs as well as touching on more recent events but would probably be unable to get into the three-course lunch and associated beverages on offer.
He said a jockey’s diet has little margin for uncontrolled eating.
“It depends on how busy you are and how hectic our schedule is really,” Munce explained.
“If it’s a hectic schedule with plenty of race riding, you’ve got to be pretty disciplined and I suppose everybody gets to know their body and work out what they can and can’t eat.
“I’ll probably have races the next day so I would be pretty quiet I would say.”
While he has never been asked to ride at the Balaklava Cup, Munce said he would not mind an invitation in the near future.
“Not this year I wouldn’t but probably another time I would, I’m a bit tied up (this year),” he said.
The Queenslander was previously a stable rider for training mogul, Gai Waterhouse, but has relocated back to Brisbane with his family and relished the change.
“I moved back with the family about 18 months ago and enjoyed it ever since,” he said.
“It was a long term plan and what we always thought we would do and we’re really enjoying it now.”
Having worked in the Waterhouse camp, Munce chuckled when told notorious bookmaker, Robbie Waterhouse, will be attending this year’s Balaklava Cup.
“I’m sure it will be good and he’ll add a bit of colour to the meeting,” he said.
“He’s very astute with what he has to say so I’m sure he’ll be a good attraction for the crowd.”

Will work on getting something from Robbie in the coming few days. Interesting drawcard....

[Dutchy]

Ill be heading up

[OnSong]

WATERHOUSE SET TO FIELD AT BALAKLAVA CUP

IN what is being touted as the biggest feat in the history of the Balaklava Racing Club, infamous bookmaker Robbie Waterhouse will be fielding at this year’s Balaklava Cup, on Wednesday, August 31.
The Waterhouse name is synonymous with Australian racing, racing club CEO, Doug Hall, ecstatic Robbie will be present at this year’s major event.
“To me, the fact he has agreed to come is probably the single biggest coup the club has ever pulled off,” Mr Hall said.
“He’s a legend to people in the racing industry and the Waterhouse family is legendary in Australian racing.”
Of course, there is more to the Waterhouse name than just Robbie, with father Bill and his own son, Tom, both astute bookies.
Robbie’s wife Gai, is the daughter of one of Australia’s greatest ever trainers, the late Tom Smith, while Gai herself is also a legendary trainer, held in similar regard to her father.
“They are arguably the royalty of Australian racing,” Mr Hall said.
“I’d go and have a bet with him just to have a ticket with Robbie Waterhouse on it.
“I think he will be a real drawcard, it will reinvigorate the betting ring.”
Mr Hall said there is a rumour wife Gai, one of the nation’s most successful trainers, may also be coming to the meet.
Mr Waterhouse said the fame that comes with the name is all part and parcel of the racing game.
“I’m delighted to be invited,” he said.
“Obviously, it is advantage in my trade to be well-known.”
Securing Robbie’s attendance at the cup came right out of the blue.
“Originally, we approached his dad to come over as a guest for the media launch,” Mr Hall explained.
Given other commitments on the calendar, the club offered Robbie the opportunity to come to the cup instead.
“He said ‘yeah, I’ll come over, I’ll field’,” Mr Hall said.
“We just wanted him to come over as a guest but when he said he would field, we thought bloody hell, how good is this?”
There are literally hundreds of tales connected to Robbie in Australian racing folklore, Mr Hall recounting one incident involving media mogul Kerry Packer.
The details are slightly blurred but the story goes along the lines of Packer approaching Waterhouse to put $1 million on his own horse, at even money odds.
Waterhouse rose the stakes, offering Packer odds of $2.50, if Packer doubled his investment.
Packer supposedly snapped up the bet, only to watch his horse lose the race.
“The story goes on that Kerry Packer stormed out of Randwick, jumped on a plane, went to Darwin and won it back on the punt in the Darwin Casino,” Mr Hall chuckled.
Mr Hall believed Robbie’s fame and competitiveness would breathe new life into a bookies section starting to dry out.
“Over the past few years with TABs in marquees, the betting ring has been no where near as busy as it used to be,” Mr Hall said.
“I think with him in there, it will bring people back.
“It’s all about competition, if he has a horse a couple of points higher than bookmakers around him, it will force them either to not take bets because people will bet where the best price is, or they’ve got to match him.
“It won’t be beyond the realms of possibility that other bookmakers will bet with him too.”
Mr Waterhouse oozed confidence for a bookie set for his first visit to the Mid North track.
“It has become crucial to have done the form well,” he said.
“Punters bet where get the best price.
“I’ll be top odds and get plenty of business.”
With the betting ring thick with the competitive atmosphere, Mr Hall said it would be a spectacle to see how punters and other bookies alike, take on Mr Waterhouse.
“He’s been at it all his life and he’s damn good at it,” Mr Hall said.

[mighty_tiger_79]

how many punters will have the token bet with waterhouse

[OnSong]

how many punters will have the token bet with waterhouse

Are you coming MT79?

Dutchy, looking to get Savvy in the main race of the day?

[Bum Crack]

how many punters will have the token bet with waterhouse

Are you coming MT79?

Dutchy, looking to get Savvy in the main race of the day?

I'm staying at your joint.

[mighty_tiger_79]

they wouldnt let me in

[mighty_tiger_79]

plus i have to choose between balaklava and angle park dogs - its a no brainer for me