Spring Super Stable 2008

Topiary at Moonee Valley Race Course

It’s that time of year again where the racing fans on Racing & Sports web site start thinking of submitting their stables to The Shu’s well respected Spring Super Stable tipping competition

It is my favourite competition as I’ve stated before, so I am primed to go with my initial stable as follows:

I have spent my virtual $1,000,000, after much thought, on the horses below.

AUGUSTA PROUD (3YO)-$50,000.00

DORABELLA (M)-$50,000.00

FORENSICS (M)-$152,000.00

LIGHT FANTASTIC-$98,000.00

SEBRING (3YO)-$180,500.00

SUGAR BABE (3YO)-$55,000.00

WEEKEND HUSSLER-$410,000.00

Total spent $995,500.00

My strategy is to select the best quality stable I can for the money, even if I will be initially down the bottom of the competition list in terms of money in the bank. As is my experience in previous competitions, the bank soon grows as the quality runners start their spring campaigns and win prize money.

The most important horse and the most expensive to buy was of course Weekend Hussler of whom great things are expected. Light Fantastic, Forensics and Sebring all performed well in the autumn and hence have an appropriately high price tag. Augusta Proud’s autumn campaign was sensational, though, as she didn’t manage to win at group level, is rock bottom price wise, as is Dorabella, a mare from New Zealand being trained in Victoria for a season of racing before being retired to stud. She is a group one winner in NZ and beat Seachange in a race a couple of years ago, so it should be interesting to see if she can emulate the likes of Princess Coup and the aforementioned Seachange, and be competitive in the tougher Australian races.

Sugar Babe is a promising filly, whose performance in autumn was not discreditable by any means.

All in all, it’s a stable with a lot of potential as long as the horses remain sound and race up to expectations; I should be off to a good start in August and hopefully can build up a decent virtual bank to purchase substitutions later in the season.

UPDATE 25/7/08

Even before the competition has started I've had to substitute Sebring who has sustained an injury that puts him out of action for the spring. I've replaced him with Triple Honour who won the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap in autumn and very nearly beat Weekend Hussler in the Hussler's first Sydney run.