Saturday's Doomben win by Jungle Edge provided a real highlight for The Armchair Punter while he's asking the question of readers, what do they prefer a straight track 1200m or around the turn?
JUNGLE EDGE DELIVERS A WINX-LIKE MOMENT
You can't help but get caught up in the Jungle Edge story and I found myself having something of a Winx-like moment watching him win at Doomben on Saturday.
The battle hardened gelding with the country trainer-jockey combo are happy to pull on the gloves and take up any challenge without apprehension and in Saturday's BRC Sprint they once again prevailed emphatically.
I reckon I would have been one of many who didn't have a bet on the race, just like when Winx goes around, but just like watching the champion mare I got a huge thrill from seeing the Mick Bell-Kevin Forrester-Jungle Edge team win and not for the punt.
LOOKING EAST FOR STAYERS, WEST FOR SPRINTERS
When it comes to big race time in most cases we look little further than north and south on the Aussie eastern seaboard with the obvious exceptions being overseas staying and middle distance gallopers.
Recently though there has been a great influx of gallopers from East and West raiding certain big races, especially through the autumn and winter.
The Kiwi three-year-olds have had a stranglehold on the Australian Derby with It's A Dundeel, Mongolian Khan, Tavago and Jon Snow cleaning up over the past five years.
Then there's the fillies and again the NZ influence with Bonneval, Sofia Rosa and Rising Romance taking out three of the last four AJC Oaks.
But it's to the west where we've been under sprinting attack with another successful assault at Morphettville on Saturday.
Obviously the Hayes-Dabernig team have much interest in bolstering their sprinting ranks from WA with new arrival Vega Magic taking out Saturday's Goodwood as a heavily backed second favourite.
Hayes and Dabernig have also had great success with WA mare Sheidel winning the Oakleigh Plate earlier in the year along with three other races since joining the camp while Darren Weir has notched up seven wins with Black Heart Bart including last year's Goodwood since the top class galloper arrived in the east.
Malibu Style has been another WA sprinting success winning in Melbourne recently and on Saturday First Among Equals certainly did enough in the Goodwood after a wide run to suggest he's capable of picking up a race on this side of the continent if he sticks around.
SANTA ANA NOW IN THE RIGHT LANE
From day one of his career Santa Ana Lane has had big wraps on him but you'd have to say overall his career has been somewhat disappointing however his recent efforts would suggest the best of the gelding is about to come.
He won three of his first four starts but it took 13 further outings before his next win, storming home from last to win the Wagga Town Plate under 61kg but it was his performance in Saturday's Goodwood which suggested the four-year-old may well be on target to deliver a really good class race.
He was held up for the majority of the straight and only got clear running when the race was all over before powering home to finish fifth, just on two lengths from the winner.
WHAT DO YOU PREFER THE STRAIGHT TRACK OR CIRCLE 1200m?
Watching the Goodwood at Morphettville on Saturday only reaffirmed to me how much more I prefer circle racing against straight track racing in big sprint races.
With Flemington straight races horses often end up on the wrong side of the track and tempo is the real issue as nobody has an obligation to get into an early rush looking for a position.
In racing around the circle we invariably get that truer tempo and, in most cases your horse will get its chance.
Years ago I didn't mind having a bet down the Flemington straight but now days I've found it more of a rarity. I ask you, the readers, what do you prefer?
OUTSIDE NOT A BARRIER FOR ANGLAND
In this column last week I highlighted a mixed bag for Tye Angland at Scone but he's worth another mention this week for his outstanding management from outside barriers at Rosehill on Saturday.
Incredibly from eight rides at Rosehill on Saturday Angland was aboard four runners which jumped from the outside gate and every one was given a perfect trip, not one 'got stuck on a limb'.
He handled Silence (barrier 8), Dissolute (13) and Nothing Box (12) giving each every opportunity but he saved his best for last with an absolute gem aboard Invinzabeel (16).
Jumping well there was plenty of speed inside so he Invinzabeel back and within 300m was on the fence. From there it was just a matter of getting out in the straight.
There no doubt he had done his homework for the day and as such finished with an A+.
OLD WARHORSE ADDS AN EXTRA ZEROO
It would be remiss not to give Extra Zero a special mention for his win at Flemington on Saturday but you're entitled to worry about his opposition when the rising 11year-old made them look so ordinary.
Extra Zero's racing meter ticked over 100 starts on Saturday but the win was his first in 28 starts on the flat stretching back to January 2015 although he did win a maiden hurdle at Ballarat last June.
FOLLOW ME
Ana Royale won her second race from 11 starts taking out the SA Classic at Morphettville on Saturday and now she's getting out over a real distance I'm confident there's plenty more to come.
A couple of weeks back I highlighted the SA Oaks as a race for the future with Egg Tart, Kenedna and Ana Royale filling the placings in that order and the third placegetter was the one I wanted to be on over longer.
On Saturday she stepped up from 2000m to 2500m and powered away to win as she liked and she'll only get better and with Kenedna winning The Roses at Doomben on Saturday that only added even more weight to the SA Oaks form.
FORGET ME
What has happened to Malaguerra?
Four runs back he looked a superstar winning the Australia Stakes from Black Heart Bart but since the wheels have well and truly fallen off.
His three runs since have seen midfield efforts in the Orr Stakes and T J Smith before a 16th in Saturday's Goodwood when, despite a couple of minor traffic issues he never looked likely.
Maybe all the travelling has finally taken its toll?
His past five starts have seen the gelding line up in Perth, Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide.
