When Bart’s filly swooped down that long Flemington straight to claim the Group One fillies’ prize, no wonder the Oaks Day crowd stood and cheered, writes TP Maher: They’d taken the poisonous short odds quoted by those legalised vampires in the betting ring and they were happy.
Horse racing 
The Melbourne Cup: just a drunken school formal for grown ups
Bob Dumpling lets loose on the Melbourne Cup and the mess that happens on the other side of the track. No horses involved, just drunk D grade celebrities and fake charities funding the TAB. Time to grow up Australia.
Video of the Day: The 1896 Melbourne Cup
Footage from the 1896 Melbourne Cup: slightly fewer drunken women throwing up champagne all over their frocks, but pretty much the same as it is over 100 years later.
The powerful myth of the Melbourne Cup
Yep, get all the clichés out, today is the race that stops a nation, the sport of kings. But the Melbourne Cup is also a strong example of the distinct Australian social classes, from the supermodels in the birdcage to the country horse lovers.
My tips for tomorrow: don’t drink and don’t bet
Getting ready for tomorrow’s Melbourne Cup? Then don’t follow TP Maher’s example, as he reflects on the drinking, gambling and also the horses from Saturday’s Derby Day.
Ah, sweet mystery of life found at Cox Plate
The W S Cox Plate has been running at Moonee Valley since 1922 and is billed as “the greatest two minutes in sport”. But this year’s version took your breath away more than all the knee-tremblers you could possibly fit into 124 seconds in a month of Sundays, recounts TP Maher.
Political snippets: A gloomy outlook in Copenhagen
Gloomy news for the immediate future of racing clubs as well as the environment.
CC tips: I like the Pricer and the wog horse. Turf accountant fancies Vigor
If the new breed of online celebrity bookies had read Runyon, they might not have turned Irish Lights out to 5/2 on Wednesday for Australia’s premiere mile race for fillies, TP Maher.
Dwarf jockey fights Midget Cup criticisms: “Not tacky!”
One of the actors in the middle of the ‘Midget Cup’ scandal at Cranbourne Cup has come out against criticism of his work. ” I was hired as an actor to professionally act”, writes Jeremy Hallam.
Sheer, unadulterated Starspangled pleasure at Caulfield
Flexi boxed winnings were reclaimed by the turf accountant on an otherwise splendid day of horse racing at Caulfield racetrack, writes TP Maher.
Hard tracks, soft options and the Maxsted great scheme of things
Irish trainer Dermot Weld says he’s not bringing Profound Beauty to Australia. TP Maher will keep his money in his pocket.
Turnbull victory the height of well-priced efficiency
The $502,000 Turnbull Stakes is a good test of horse, jockey, trainer and connections’ staying power at a middle distance, writes TP Maher.
Talking the Town: bookmaker Bill Waterhouse’s autobiography launch
There was no more fabulous place to be in Sydney yesterday than at Tattersall’s Club for the launch of colourful bookmaker Bill Waterhouse’s autobiography, What are the Odds? The Bill Waterhouse Story.
Horse & Jockey: finding succor at the Valley by the freeway
If you don’t know who Manikato is, you’ve obviously been given a very poor education in contemporary Australian life and there is nothing T P Maher can do for you.
Horse & Jockey: Caulfield: So many horses, so little money
When they first built a primitive racecourse at Caulfield in 1859, a track had to be crudely fashioned from the heath, sand hills and snake-infested swamps. It looks much the same today, writes T.P. Maher.
The not-so-happy Valley
Remember that there is no such thing as smart money on the racecourse, writes TP Maher.
Lee Freedman: why new whip rules are overkill
Lee Freedman explains from a trainer’s perspective why the new whip rule which has the racing industry up in arms is excessive and unnecessary.
Betting companies might need a whip around if jockeys hold out
For bookmakers and wagering companies around the country, every single interruption to the racing program means a drop in revenue. The jokey strike over whip rules could cost the industry millions.
Jockeys striking? Solution: get monkeys
Melbourne’s iconic Spring Carnival is in crisis mode as the horse people with the small hands put the whip in the rack and refuse to race. Crikey’s Leigh Josey offers a solution.
Crack the whip over indulgent jockey strike
The horse racing Spring Carnival is in doubt, with jockeys taking industrial action against controversial new padded whip laws. Imagine the uproar if AFL players walked out on a game, says Ben Wise. Jockeys should just accept the changes and do their jobs.
Horse & Jockey: Flemington on fire
Happily, horses have no knowledge of human expectations because they are dumb, dumb animals, writes TP Maher, reviewing the weekend’s racing at Flemington.
Horse and jockey with T.P. Maher: thanks for the Memsie
On Saturday, Melbourne went head-to-head with Sydney for the start of their respective Spring racing carnivals. Rosehill had all the prize money but Caulfield had all the class.
Tips and rumours: Gay Christian speaker prevented from speaking at church
The Anglican Church uninvite a gay speaker, Coles definitely not the fresh food people, jumps racing horses don’t have great odds.
