Idolmite

I see "l AM MAXIMUS" is the third favourite for the Grand National at Aintree on Sunday morning. $6.50 chance. You'll be on?

What a ludicrous situation with regards Entain and this meeting - that they are sponsoring through Betcha and the TAB - in that their website doesn't cover ANY recent Australian form. There are 5 Aussie trotters in the field of 8, and 2 of the 10 runners in the pace are from Australia (7 of 18 overall). On top of that a number of the New Zealand chances (another 4 runners l think) have raced in Australia over the past few weeks, yet that form is missing too (the "last 5" form doesn't match the "last starts" form). So well over 50% of the runners (actually over 60% by my maths) form is not accurate on a night where they are competing for a cool $1.6 million dollars in what is really a NZ vs AUS competition. Deplorable. The form from last Friday night at Cambridge is all over the place too, included in some places but not others, and not always accurate. If they can't up and get it right for this one, when can we rely on them to get right?

Unless DON HUGO is so fast off the mobile arm - and we know DUCHESS MEGXIT isn't - that a gap opens up in the trailing position. If Ants was there with TACT MCLEOD they wouldn't hesitate to drop into said gap Yes, it's going to take a big effort for a local horse to finish in the top 2 in the pace. l can see MERLIN ending up in the 1-1 behind LTF and getting a good drag along, and he has an excellent course and distance record, but overall he's been a little disappointing this season. Last year he went into this with strong Aussie form, but this year not so much. Could still run third though, behind a LEAP TO FAME / DON HUGO dead heat for first.

Gone from "futures" now; betting thru the meeting code.

The weather forecast is looking absolutely appalling. A real shame for the club. Thank goodness I've got a nice close mobility park and a nice covered in dinner venue The back runners will need to be wearing a snorkel at least, the drivers oxygen tanks, goggles and flippers!!

Mo'unga, unlikely to start, $21 Ohoka Connor, has a start, $201

Well I'm assuming maybe that horses missing a stat (where the total number of wins doesn't match the good, soft and heavy wins added together) maybe won an an easy track before they were deleted from existence? Dunno. But I've noticed the same thing before myself, that We're Doomed mentioned above. Although maybe the stats just suck.

11148 1.Duchess Megxit(Fr1) Tony Herlihy T: Barry Purdon & Scott Phelan NBT SP 51111 2.Don Hugo(Fr2) Luke Mccarthy T: Luke Mccarthy NBT SP 13346 3.Republican Party(Fr3) Carter Dalgety (J) T: Cran & Chrissie Dalgety NBT SP 61626 4.Mo'unga(Fr4) - T: Regan Todd NBT SP 21811 5.Don't Stop Dreaming(Fr5) - T: Hayden & Amanda Cullen NBT SP 13213 6.Pinseeker(Fr6) Jonny Cox T: Jonny Cox NBT SP 32262 7.Merlin(Fr7) Zachary Butcher T: Barry Purdon & Scott Phelan NBT SP 21121 8.Leap To Fame(Fr8) Grant Dixon T: Grant Dixon NBT SP 0x891 9.Chase A Dream(Fr9) Mark Purdon T: Mark & Nathan Purdon NBT SP 72124 10.Rakero Rocket(Fr10) Gavin Smith T: Tom Bamford NBT SP 2x729 11.Ohoka Connor(Fr11) Tim Williams T: Steve & Amanda Telfer

58x11 1.Im Ready Jet(Fr1) - T: Andy Gath NBT SP 42144 2.Queen Elida(Fr2) - T: Brent Lilley NBT SP 11921 3.Oscar Bonavena(Fr3) Mark Purdon T: Mark & Nathan Purdon NBT SP 11531 4.Arcee Phoenix(Fr4) - T: Chris Svanosio NBT SP 12112 5.Not As Promised(Fr5) - T: Graham Dwyer NBT SP 21341 6.The Locomotive(Fr6) - T: Brad Hewitt NBT SP 21132 7.Muscle Mountain(Fr7) - T: Greg & Ben Hope NBT SP 21314 8.Kyvalley Hotspur(Fr8) - T: Michelle Wallis & Bernie Hackett NBT SP 0x113 9.Bet N Win(Fr9) Bob Butt T: David & Stacey White

Oh, the "expert" AI comments are not ever worthy of comment.

Track conditions are always wrong. They don't show "easy" track form, just good, soft and heavy. I thought everything else was okay? I didn't study closely however.....

The barrier "reveal" is at 7.30pm tonight on Trackside. It will have been done by then, but embargoed. So not done live per se, but the NZB Kiwi, which was done live, was something of a messy embarrassment.

The DUCHESS has been driven as if this is the only race that matters, with two awful runs/drives to date this time in; the only time in her career she hasn't finished 1st or 2nd. I see she's paying $5.50 now Top 3, but should LEAP TO FAME and DON HUGO both perform to expectations that really only leaves one spot the rest of the field to fight over. She'd have to be best Kiwi to snatch that third place. The draw will help, but......

I guess it's the slot holder's prerogative, and it must be difficult to drop your own horse and try and negotiate a deal with somebody else. But yeah....... MO'UNGA is paying 20-1 looking in from the outside waiting on a scratching, while OHOKA CONNOR, safely in the field, is at 100-1. That says it all really.

I think DUTCHESS MEXIT gets barrier 1, like QUEEN ELIDA in the trot? I know there used to be some age/sex demographic into how the field was set, but most horses are in the main draw. It's a shame MO'UNGA isn't in the Stonewall Stud slot instead of the disappointing OHOKA CONNOR. At least CHASE A DREAM is back in form at the right time. And DON'T STOP DREAMING.