Turf Deli Racing News

Everyday Is Like Sunday

For most of this year the VRC and the AFL have been fighting out a bitter custody dispute over who owns the first Saturday in October. The disagreement arose because of AFL plans to stage the Grand Final one week later in 2011 to allow for the addition of the new Gold Coast team. This would of course, clash with the Turnbull Stakes meeting at Flemington which traditionally kicks off Spring Racing Carnival. The AFL eventually won, forcing the 2011 Turnbull Stakes to be run on a Sunday.

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Well blow us down if last weekend the AFL didn't come out and rub lemon flavoured salt in the wound, by staging an obviously rigged draw in the Grand Final, thus forcing the Grand Final replay to cause a clash this year as well. Big AFL Bully !. So the scrawny geeky VRC needs to move the Turnbull Stakes to Sunday this year and again next year - and also hand over all of it's lunch money.

The obvious solution for those who think a little outside the square would have been to move the Grand Final to Flemington, and run the races during the quarter time breaks.

Would that have been too difficult ?

Instead of the half time players sprint, you would have a 1200M sprint down the straight. The clerks of the course on their grey horses could man the interchange bench, and escort the players on and off the field to make sure there is none of those silly interchange infringements.

Of course, they would have to allow a once off change to the members dress code, making it strictly jacket and tie - with optional scarf and beanie. Plus the AFL would then have access to the betting ring. With the unabated and shameless growth in sports betting over the last couple of years actually kinda surprised the AFL hasn't already cordoned off the centre square to make it a betting ring anyway.

Remember Daylight Savings starts this weekend in Melbourne as well. Set your clocks to Spring and hopefully it will start to warm up sometime before Christmas.

After a Hung Parliament, and a drawn AFL Grand Final be prepared for a Triple Dead Heat in this years Melbourne Cup as Australia proudly celebrates the International Year of Being in Limbo.