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The Gelding’s tips for 3 March 2012

The Gelding’s attention is firmly on Flemington today with the main race of the day being the Australian Guineas.

As always the bets are on an each way and all up basis.

Flemington

Race 3 Horse 8 – Beldara
Race 4 Horse 7 – Under the Hat (for the ladies at the Tennis club)
Race 5 Horse 2 – Red Colossus
Race 6 Horse 7 – That’s the One (also for the ladies at the Tennis club)
Race 7 Horse 7 – Eight Bills

You can hear the Gelding discuss racing with the Professor every Sunday on Sportzfan Radio at 12.30pm on 88.3 Southern FM.  The Gelding’s segment is sponsored by the Great Western Hotel.

Good luck and good punting!

The Gelding

Sportzfan Radio show #236.2

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!26 February 2012 236.2 -Wayne Holdsworth , CEO of the Southern Football League explained the reasons behind the expulsion of the Doveton Eagles from the League stemming from racial slurs and intimidation of umpires in a 2011 elimination final. This was not the first time the Club had been expelled as in 2010, their coach had been found guilty of coaching whilst his accreditation had been suspended. Wayne also discussed that due to lack of resources, community leagues don’t conduct drug testing. On a positive note, Wayne firmly believed that within three years there will be a professional Australian Rules national competition for women. The Panel discussed the Sydney Kings choice of Shane Heal as their head coach position for the remainder of this NBL season. Daniel believes that in order to increase interest and attendance at NBL games, something needs to be done to boost scoring to make it more entertaining for spectators who want to watch a more fast-paced game. Paul Dalligan provided his NRL 2012 season preview and weighed in with his picks for the first game of the NRL season picking Newcastle to win the first game of the season at home against the Dragons. He also thought the Bulldogs would beat the Panthers and the Rabbitohs would get over the Roosters.  Paul gave his final 2012 ladder predictions including his top eight. He said it was difficult as the competition is one of the best in years.  Surprisingly, not in the top eight were the reigning premiers, Manly, after losing their coach to the Bulldogs and the Brisbane Bronco’s who he saw finishing in the basement due to the loss of several top players.

Sportzfan Radio show #236.1

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!26 February 2012 236.1 – Daniel emulated Sportzfan Stan’s usual start to the show by launching his own rants, starting with Stan himself. Daniel suggested to the Professor that Stan needed to be sent to Florida if he continues to wear cardigans on 36C days. He quickly moved on to Ricky Ponting and whether he retired or was sacked by Cricket Australia. He discussed NFL and Troy Aikman’s comment that American football will not be the most popular sport in America in 10-15 years due to parents’ perceptions towards contact sports and Daniel posed the same question about the AFL.  Dan Butterly returned to the show to deliver his U.S. report and rehashed the lack lustre 2012 Super Bowl. He thought the commercials were the highlight rather than the game itself and that the Peyton Manning saga overshadowed the Giants/Patriots matchup. Dan also considered questions posed by Daniel regarding Eli Manning versus Peyton Manning. With March Madness due to start, Dan’s pick for the NCAA Final Four was, Kentucky, Michigan State, Kansas and North Carolina. He also predicted some upsets caused during the tournament.  Finally he looked at ‘Linsanity’ that has taken over not only New York but also the NBA. The Gelding reported on the Blue Diamond Stakes at Caulfield and the Sydney Colt’s results. Sportzfan Stan’s rant du jour was the usage of drugs in sports and the bad image caused by abusers.  The panel expressed their confusion on the penalties outlined by the AFL and the lack of criminal charges for those found offending.

Sportzfan Radio show #235.1

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!19 February 2012 235.1 – Sportzfan Stan kick started the show with his weekly rant, this time on the AFL’s first financial loss in a decade amounting to $23.6 millon. The AFL’s blame-game included the start up costs of the Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney teams.  John O’Callaghan observed that it’s bad economics and can’t be blamed on expansion costs that should have been factored into the budget.  Tackling the issue of lack of media coverage for women in sport, Janice Crosswhite, President of Australian Women’s Sport and Recreation Association & current VP for the International Association for Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women spoke with the Sportzfan Radio panel. The Professor indicated that the Herald Sun’s only sports article on women this week was on Olympian, Sally Pearson but was buried towards the back pages. Janice shed some light on the Sports Commission’s research in 2010 showing some progress for equality for women in sport. She also commented on Olympic historian, Harry Gordon’s claim that since 1956, women have outperformed men in teams proportionate to medals won. Janice observed there was a lack of full time sports writers devoted to covering women’s sport or other “B” sports like basketball, swimming, track and field, squash, and gymnastics. Social media may be part of the solution as traditional means have failed to date. Daniel Eade came on to talk hoops and discussed the NBA and the NY Knicks surprising the league with their “Linsanity” Jeremy Lin. Daniel thought that after losing Carmelo Anthony and Amar’e Stoudemire for games the Knicks would be gone but they have rebounded with Lin at point guard. Injuries were a topic of discussion too, due to the condensed season with the big name’s not being able to handle so many minutes per night.  There was also comment that the NBL had yet to release any further news about the new franchise bids for Melbourne and Brisbane.

Sportzfan Radio show #235.2

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!19 February 2012 235.2 – Sportzfan Radio continued the coverage of women in sport featuring Australian baseballer, Simone Wearne who will be admitted to the Australian Baseball Hall of Fame next week being the first woman admitted as well as the youngest person inducted. She won silver at the World Cup two years ago and has strong hopes of usurping Japan from the #1 spot in August 2012 in Canada.  She has high hopes that  the future will hold a woman’s professional league in Australia.  Nicole provided thought provoking ideas on how women can increase interest in their sports and promote themselves in the media. Mark Fiorenti comes on the show to talk soccer and discussed the repercussions of the financial woes of the Scottish soccer champions, Rangers who went into administration this past week resulting in a deduction of 10 points by the League putting them well behind rival Glasgow Celtic. Will this be the end of Rangers he asks? The A League didn’t provide any surprises this week except for the owner of Gold Coast United saying some bizarre things in the press. Sportzfan Stan has a go at cricket in his second rant for the day with the umpires inability to count to six leading to a five ball over in a recent International One Day series match betwenn India and Sri Lanka.  Paul Dalligan can’t be accused of riding the fence making his frustration clear with NRL’s turncoat and one of AFL’s highest paid players, Israel Folau, never touching the ball observing “I’m doing a better job than Israel Folau, and I’m at a BBQ in Geelong”. Paul will present his NRL season preview next Sunday.

Sportzfan Radio show #234.2

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!12 February 2012 234.2 – The Panel discuss the test series between Australia and India with the question being whether Australia has improved that much or was India that bad. Paul Dalligan feels it has a lot to do with new bowling coach, Craig McDermott. Even Sportzfan Stan gave the Aussies the thumbs up with a nine out of ten. Tennis is also on the agenda with a look at Australia playing China in a Davis Cup qualifier being played in Geelong this week. The Panel agree that Lleyton Hewitt and Bernard Tomic have the advantage over Ze Zhang and Di Wu. The Professor raises the question whether Australia will get back into the Davis Cup top 16. Mark Fiorenti comes on to discuss soccer, beginning with Sydney’s coach, Vitezslav Lavicka ‘resignation’ this week. Names rumored to replace him include Italian great, Gianfranco Zola, former Sydney FC player Dwight Yorke and Graham Arnold. There will be other coaching vacancies at the end of ther season and these are also discussed. Paul Dalligan looks at the pros and cons of Harry Kewell’s signing by Victory and whether it was a good thing. Internationally, England’s coach, Italian Fabio Capello, announced his resignation after the F.A’s decision to strip Chelsea’s John Terry of the England captaincy over racism charges during a Premier League match. In rugby league, Paul Dalligan was pleased that the independent commission is off the ground after four years in the making and he discusses the future of the ARL with the coming media rights negotiation.

Sportzfan Radio show #234.1

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!12 February 2012 234.1 – Paul Gamble is in the chair hosting this week’s Sportzfan Radio and the Professor, who spent the past week in the U.S. for the NFL Super Bowl, gets to sit back and just be a ‘normal’ member of the Panel. Paul Dalligan and Sportzfan Stan round out the Panel and Paul opens by talking about the ABL Grand Final between Perth Heat and Melbourne Aces. The Professor felt that the Super Bowl was anti-climatic for anyone not a New York Giants fan and was critical of the inaccurate, over-hyped coverage that the Australian news gave to the reports of Gisele Bundchen, wife of Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, abusing fans. He said the post Super Bowl news buzzed with questions of whether the Colts will retain Peyton Manning, their quarterback since 1999, who is worth 23 million if they don’t cut him by the first week in March. Sportzfan Stan’s rant was on the two year suspension handed out bythe Court of Arbitration for Sport to Alberto Contador. He was also stripped of his 2010 Tour de France title after his positive test for the steroid clenbuterol. The Professor said the penalty was a farce as Contador has been competing regardless. The Gelding talks horse racing and Black Caviar’s easy win. He also reports on Danish Rock who is now in Mick Price’s stables at Caulfield and is described as a fit colt running even times. Nick Tedeschi comes on to talk NRL and his 2012 Punter’s Guide to the NRL.  He is reserving his opinion on the Bulldogs at the moment. Dalligan’s “Dark Horse” for the year is the Cronulla Sharks.

Sportzfan Radio show #233.2

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!22 January 2012 233.2 – Daniel believes that signing Patty Mills was detrimental and had they not, the Tigers would have had more wins for the season and retained Darryl Corletto. James Upfill, a local baseball player for the Cheltenham Rustlers, joins the Panel to talk baseball and believes the future of the ABL mainly rests with the media coverage of baseball in Australia. Sportzfan Stan feels baseball in Australia is doomed  because of the lack of grounds, players and supporters (a position he has maintiend since Day 1 of the ABL). Mark Fiorenti comes on to talk soccer and says his soccer predictions remain unfulfilled with the Melbourne Heart losing to Perth 2-1. Questions were raised about Besart Berisha being allowed to play after receiving a one game suspension against SydneyFC for challenging a player to a post game fight during last week’s game. Berisha scored the equaliser against Heart. Mark and the Professor have differing opinions regarding the Heart’s ability to survive with low attendance at games this year. The Panel look at the week’s Australian Open results and believe they were disappointing as only two men and no women remain in the tournament. With no Panel member predicting accurately the outcome of the past week, Daniel’s knowledge of the remaining players was tested while Stan decided to barrack for the home stars.  The Professor predicts Tomic to win the men’s singles with Kim Clijsters ultimately beating Serena Williams for the women’s title. Paul Dalligan begins by endorsing the local baseball as the best sporting entertainment for the dollar before taking a whack at the Luxbet practices regarding a forfeited tennis match. He was pleased that the NRL’s Independent Commission is likely to start on the 10th of February.

Sportzfan Radio show #233.1

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!22 January 2012 233.1 – With Dan Butterly’s first appearance of 2012, he recapped the end of the U.S. college football season with the deluge of bowl games involved and discussed the pros and cons of underclass men leaving college in the hopes of being drafted to the NFL. Dan expressed surprise at teams in the NFL Championship game after the Green Bay Packers lost to the Giants and the San Francisco 49’ers defeated the New Orleans Saints. He thought the match up would have been between the Saints and Packers. Dan says the Ravens will fall to the Patriots this week and the home advantage going to the 49’ers over the Giants for the Superbowl. The NBA strike has been the cause of numerous early injuries to players and predicts that the accelerated schedule will increase that number.  Also, aging players might fall prey to being traded as teams will have to weigh whether or not they can keep up with the season’s gruelling schedule. Less than a month until pitchers and catchers report for spring training in the MLB! The  Gelding was back in form this weekend selecting three winerss and two placings from his five choices. It took Sportzfan Stan thirty-eight minutes into the show before he called for the first sacking this week. He also observed that “some horses are faster than others”. Daniel talks NBL and felt that Ayinde Ubaka’s sacking with eight games left in the season was the worst timing by the Melbourne Tigers.

Sportzfan Radio – show #232.2

@SportzfanRadio now available on iTunes!15 January 2012 232.2 Mark Fiorenti goes on to talk about the sacking of Melbourne Victory coach Mehmet Durakovic and the appointment of Jim Magilton. He thinks the Victory could still slip into the top four. Mark also talks about the Melbourne Heart and says they are clearly the best side in Melbourne. He discusses the A League initiatives of Big Wednesday concept with five games being played on the one day and the coach of Gold Coast being miked up during the game. Daniel says if he owned the team he wouldn’t have allowed it. Mark finally looks at Arsenal signing Thierry Henry for the next few months and Eric Cantona vying for the French presidency. The Panel talk cricket and the test series against India. The Gelding says that Craig McDermott is doing a great job as bowling coach. Paul Dalligan comes on to talk both NRL and NFL especially his beloved Denver Broncos. He thinks Billy Slater will be fit to start the NRL season and that Canterbury Bankstown are a special for the coming season. Tennis is the next topic of discussion and the Professor quizes the Panel about how many Australian men and women are in the Australian Open draw. The Professor also queries whether Ian Thorpe should have come back after a fifth place in the Victorian championships. Daniel likens it to the embarassing comeback of Tony Lockett. Daniel also talks both NBL and NBA looking at the LA Clippers, Melbourne Tigers and Patty Mills.