We shall give Lindsay Gallagher's melon a rest this week, as I want to give the lead gig to jockey Brad Stewart (pictured) who went to the Rockhampton Carnival and rode the Bryan Guy trained Shuffle The Cash to victory in the $100,000 Rockhampton Cup last Saturday. Great ride Brad - and I was on - so that is a big help towards getting your melon up in headlights. To other jockeys and trainers who yearn to have their photo up here, it's not really rocket science - is it? You just have to get what I've tipped, or backed, home first.

Eagle Farm conducted an eight race programme last Saturday for their Winter Stakes meeting. The track that was rated as a “dead 4” for the start of the meeting, and then was upgraded after the running of Race 1 to be a “good 3” for the remainder of the meeting.

The day featured two highlights, firstly the win of the talented 3YO Redoute’s Choice filly Melito, who finally got around to winning her second Group 1 race after beating Hot Danish home in the Group 1 T J Smith at Randwick on 10/4/10. The filly’s victory in the Winter Stakes took her prizemoney earnings to $1,577,150 and she has now won, or been placed, in 15 of her 18 career starts to date, which is a wonderful training effort by her Rosehill based mentor - Gerald Ryan.

The other highlight of the meeting was obviously the brilliant win by the former Perth galloper Hay List. It has been stated elsewhere that “a Brisbane trip was never on the radar” and all the other allied garbage "they" cumulatively write and speak elsewhere, but if Brisbane “was never on the radar”, well why was the horse nominated for the Stradbroke? He was weighted on 51 kilos, or eight kilos under weight-for-age and was 59^th in order of entry when I put a Stradbroke weights article up on the Brisbaneracing website on 17 May, which can be revisited by clicking HERE. Hay List’s victory last Saturday demonstrates to all racing participants the difference between “a good horse” and “an ordinary horse”, however for some strange reason, whilst everyone can suddenly see what “a good horse” actually looks like, via watching Hay List winning, those very same people who have no problem seeing his quality, talk about a myriad of other "good" horses in the same breath - that have very limited ability and who wouldn’t run time down the side of the Toowoomba Range.

In the exclusives department, it was announced in The Sunday Mail yesterday (27/6/10) that “vastly experienced steward” John Hackett was leaving Queensland Racing “after spending nearly 14 years as a gallops steward”, where he “rose to the job of acting chairman and deputy”. That answers this comment that was put up on Justracing some 20 days earlier (7/6/10), when it was stated in Lindsay Gallagher’s Oaks Day betting ring review that “Regarding racing, the latest one which is doing the rounds is that at least two very senior persons within Queensland Racing will be leaving - sooner rather than later. One will be a male and one will be a female. Apparently a lot of the Queensland Racing staff are employed ‘on contract’, so their contracts won't be renewed. I hope no one is planting seeds to have it stated any other way in the media than ‘the contracts won't be renewed’”.

The “female very senior person” who is leaving Queensland Racing obviously hasn’t made it to mainstream media outlets yet. Maybe that one also will in a few weeks.

From the Eagle Farm betting ring leading rails bookmaker Lindsay Gallagher reported:

Race 1 – Woorim $3.00, Hus Der Lieften $2.05 and Jungle Heat $8.00

The first race was won by Woorim who was very impressive, however I was keen to lay him but couldn’t, so I’d have been proven wrong again.

Hus Der Lieften attracted minimal support also and one of either Woorim or Hus Der Lieften looked to be the only winning chances in this race and whilst one of those two horses won, the opening event was basically a non-event from a bookmaking perspective.

Race 2 – Tunahog $3.00, Emma’s Heart $17.00 and Maroon Bells $15.00

$3.50 was bet around the ring in places about this winner Tunahog, before the gelding eventually ran at $3.

There was money for the third placed Maroon Bells at odds and Princess Qualo was backed quite substantially with cash money.

I laid a large bet on Fleet ‘n’ Fast on the phones and Grafton visitor Rebel Rock Star was backed at big odds but didn’t pick its feet up.

It was generally a losing race.

Race 3 – Tightrope $13.00, Lotseventy $5.50 and The Sixties $10.00

This was an ordinary betting affair with only two runners backed to any major degree and they were Gundy Son, around the $3.50 mark, and Miss Matari who was specked around $5.

There was no money in the ring for the winner Tightrope and it was a winning race.

Race 4 – Shamillion $13.00, Benny’s Buttons $12.00 and Audacious Spirit $6.00

I guess Scriven made the difference getting this winner Shamillion home, but Benny’s Buttons had the wide alley and is probably the one to follow out of the race, as he was specked at odds.

There was also a move for the Snowden trained Heirarchy at $10 and he attracted some good bets at that price around the ring.

The favourite Ardeche was backed on the phones and everyone wanted to be on the filly, but she never featured.

Race 5 – Mirrasalo $16.00, Indikator $9.00 and Beatboy $14.00

This winner Mirrasalo provided a good result for fielders as she was unwanted in betting, drifting from $11 to $16.

I laid the runner-up Indikator to lose $40,000 in one bet and the favourite Rainbow Styling took out $20,000 in one bet, so both those runners were quite layable.

There was no money about for the Ipswich Cup runner-up Frozone, but the work he did last week from the wide alley probably took care of his chances in this event and he simply didn’t appear to back up.

My Limit was also specked, but he was ordinary in the straight and ran last.

Race 6 – Haylist $3.00, Pinwheel $4.40 and Ego’s Dare $8.50

Money arrived on the phones for this winner Hay List, who eased out late in betting.

I laid Ego’s Dare to lose $30,000 in one bet, amongst others.

There was no money around for Pinwheel, but conversely you could lay the topweight First Command around the $4.60 mark, so it was a race you could win or lose on. Personally I won on the race, but other bookies reported losing on it.

Race 7 – Melito $3.70, Wealth Princess $7.50 and Beaded $4.00

Melito deserved her win here after her close second in the Stradbroke behind Black Piranha. She was an easing favourite however and I didn’t bother going out of my way to lay her, because I thought she got out to really good odds at $3.70.

Beaded was backed at $4 and there was good money for Set For Fame on the phones and she firmed from $5 into $4.20.

A couple of roughies attracted support, with So Anyway being backed at 100/1 and Messenger at 60/1.

It finished up a winning race for me, which is good, because charity begins at home.

Race 8 – Pennacchio $4.60, Firebolt $7.50 and Secrets Untold $6.50

The last race was won by New Zealand Pennacchio who beat another visiting Kiwi Firebolt. It finished up quite a good betting race and you could lay the winner Pennacchio for cash money, whilst Firebolt was heavily backed on the phones and in two bets alone took out $20,000.

I also laid Firebolt’s stablemate La Etoile to lose $60,000 in a single bet.

The other New Zealander Sir Time Keeper ran another honest race, but probably needed the run. It’s just a shame the Sydney-to-Surf wasn’t on this Wednesday, or he could have backed up in that.

Parfumier was backed on the phones at $11, but the Gold Coast galloper Cornwall Park was absolutely unlayable and raced accordingly.

Imported galloper Luminous Eyes took out $20,000 in one bet.

Whilst the last three favourites won, it was a winning day for me.

Lindsay will be busier than a Beirut bricklayer this week, which will be good, as that will get him out of his wife’s hair - as he will be fielding at Ipswich on Tuesday, Doomben on Wednesday, Ipswich again on Friday and then he’ll appear at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday for the big Caloundra Cup meeting, then he will back up at Caloundra again on Sunday, for their double header meeting.

Don’t forget if you would like to visit Lindsay on the web to read his latest rant, cop a free tip, or view his latest bonus offer to new clients, you can do all that and more by visiting him at www.thevipclub.com.au.