Moonee Valley is shaping up as an interesting meeting tonight, with the promise of a good track.

Penetrometre is 4.15, the current track reading is a Dead 4, with a likely upgrade later today to a Good 3.

The track received 8 mls. of irrigation yesterday and a further 4.5. mls last night, making in all 55 mls. for the week, the rail will be out 3 metres.

The feature race, the Essendon Mazda Australia Stakes, with prize money of $220,000, is a good even field with eight runners, Pinwheel, out of the Snowden yard is nicely drawn, one out from the fence.

He should get the run of the race from there; he hasn’t won since coming down from Sydney, he gets his chance in this.

Sea Lord is not far away from another win, he loves the Valley and should be in the mix.

Caulfield tomorrow is the day for the juveniles, with the Previews of the Patinack Blue Diamond Stakes.

Penetrometre is 5.37, the track is expected to come up a Dead 4, it will receive 7mls. of irrigation this afternoon, total for the week will be 47 mls.

The fillies Preview is the interesting race of the day, for obvious reasons, seven remain unbeaten in a field of 10, and two first starters out of the Mick Price stable.

Montsegur will get the run of the race from the one gate; Kerrin McEvoy won’t be giving that up, what wins the start may win the race.

Miracles Of Life has done nothing wrong, winning in Adelaide, but she could be open to question she didn’t beat a lot there and this will be much harder.

British General can continue his winning streak in the John Dillon Stakes, he is proven at the distance, while he goes up sharply in weight, that should not be against him.    

Robert Thompson is giving rival jockeys something to chase after riding three winners at Port Macquarie on Tuesday, and one at the twilight meeting, in Launceston, on Wednesday evening, taking his all time total to 3,841 winners, an all time Australian record that could be increased with seven rides on an eight race card at Scone today.

He rode his first winner at Wyong in 1973, two months short of his fifteenth birthday, now 54 there is no sign of early retirement at this stage.

During his long career there have been a few ups and downs, at one stage he spent 12 months out of the saddle due to a severe injury.

Thompson is one of those great characters of racing, particularly up and down the coast of New South Wales and the Hunter Valley where he resides at Cessnock.

Ironically the late Jack Thompson, (no relation) known as “The Professor”, previously held the record of 3,322 winning rides, spanning 47 years, he rode his last winner aged 62.

He was the first apprentice jockey to ride 100 winners, or more, in a single season in 1940-41, he rode 106 winners and a dead heat, winning five premierships.

Born at Macksville, on the north coast of New South Wales, he came down to be apprenticed to Frank Dalton at Randwick.

Daniel Clarken has made the correct, and proper decision, to retain jockey Lauren Stojakovic as the rider of Miracles Of Life in the Blue Diamond Preview, at Caulfield tomorrow.

She has done all the hard yards, riding track work and winning on the filly, she is entitled to the ride.

There is an old adage that has stood the test of time, never interfere with a winning combination.

It is time to pull a jockey off when they are getting beaten, but not when they are winning.

Stephen Baster has been given the short back and sides treatment by the Singapore Racing Authorities, on a one page, one line letter, with the notation, Licence Withdrawn.

Surely he is entitled to be given some explanation as to the reason his licence has been revoked.

Even the steward who handed the letter to the jockey was not aware of its contents.

Jockeys, in future, may not be in a hurry to head over in that direction if that is the way they are treated.

Racing at Hanging Rock needs little introduction, it is high on the list of the popular racing venues in Australia.

Australia Day, tomorrow, is Cup day at the Rock, an occasion to go racing, experienced over the years by so many.

Originally the Cup was run on News Years Day, and the major race on Australia Day, the Sir Errol Knox Handicap.

The Club experimented with a third meeting in March which didn’t work, while years earlier there was even a date on Easter Monday, it proved too late in the year.

Hanging Rock works well with two meetings a year, call it unique if you wish, as it does have a certain charm.

Over the years it has attracted several of our leading trainers, John Meagher and the late Angus Armanasco, Geoff Murphy and Jim Houlahan

Ray Besanko, a third generation trainer, was the toast of Flemington after the win of Red Inca in the Seascay Handicap.

Red Inca had hardly passed the post when Ray was interviewed, his first words were, “this one is for you dad,” his dad, Jack, is in a nursing home at Mordialloc.

It was a red letter day in the life of Ray Besanko, he was licensed to train in June 2001, he has done a hard tough apprenticeship in winning his first race at Flemington.

The name Besanko is well respected around Mordialloc and the old Epsom training centre, formerly a close knit racing community.

Closing of the training centre was a tragedy that should never have happened, it interfered with family living, creating hardship for a lot of good genuine people, trainers were forced to relocate, there was no option if they were to remain in the industry.

Epsom was sold up for housing, as was Mentone, a decision by money hungry administrators; it was of little benefit for those good hard working citizens that were affected.

Ray’s father, Jack, was one of those that didn’t bother to relocate; he sold up the old stables that had housed several good horses trained by his father, also Jack, including Grand Print, placed twice in the Melbourne Cup, and Gay Lad, winner of the VRC and AJC St Leger Stakes.

When Ray took on training he had the blessing of his father, there have been a few slow horses along the way, they go with the job, there is now a sign of light at the end of the tunnel, Red Inca might be just the one.

He won pretty well at Flemington on Saturday after coming from near the rear of the field, with a well sustained run that saw him reach the lead 50 metres out.

The mission now is the Australian Guineas; he will get the mile on what we have seen to date.

He is likely to use the 1400 metres of the Group 3 C S Hayes Stakes at Flemington as the lead into the Guineas

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Ray Besanko with his Guineas hopeful - Red Inca

Bookmakers joined the cheer squad in welcoming Langridge Street back to the winner’s circle, giving them the best result they had all day with the gelding paying $51.00.

Most well informed punters joined the charge to support Infinite Energy, who was heavily backed with bookmakers, coming in from $5.50 to $2.45, in the closing minutes of betting.

The race was held up for quite a few minutes when the German import, Val Mondo, out of the Aaron Purcell yard at Warrnambool, dug his toes in, refusing to take any part at all in the race.

Ultimately he was withdrawn after proving a handful, whether a ban was placed on him is not yet known.

The winner, Langridge Street, a $20,000 yearling out of the Inglis Premier Sales, is giving his group of owners a lot of fun at little cost, earning $176,492 in stakes.

Trainer of the five year gelding, Michael Hibbs, tossed the coin in 1998 whether to remain in the police force, or turn his attention to training racehorses.

While there may have been a few doubts from time to time, with a few slow horses, all those doubts, if any, would have been erased after the win of Langridge Street, and on the strength of the win, there is likely to be a few more along the way.

Langridge Street wins for Michael Hibbs

First Command had a bit on those he met in the Kensington Stakes, if you were prepared to take the skinny odds; he was clearly the best of the day.

It is a day in the life of Anthony Freedman since shifting to Flemington from Markdel, a private training establishment at Rye

Anthony has been associated with some great horses while at Markdel, such as Makybe Diva, but since training in his own rite the stable favourite is surely First Command, no champion of course but good, game, and above all honest.

He is not far off earning a $1million in prize money, best described as a tough old fellow, who always gives a good account of himself.

Towards the close of betting bookmakers stretched the price of First Command out fractionally, when money came for Light Express, she was well supported at the close of betting.

Anthony Freedman has got no elaborate plans for the gelding, he is a realistic sort of bloke, like all trainers, winning is the name of the game.

The Oakleigh Plate in not on the agenda at this stage, the gelding may be better suited just below Group 1 level, the best laid plans in racing can be altered quickly.

First Command wins again