EXCLUSIVE: A beaming Nori Yamada was photographed by Dan Costello after his 2012 Weetwood Handicap win aboard Miss Imagica. The hard working jockey went all the way to Goondiwindi and rode Race 1 winner Le Max last Saturday before returning to ride at the Toowoomba twilight meeting. Sadly Nori isn't beaming too much today, as he's in a Toowoomba hospital following a fall early on Saturday night in Toowoomba. Read the pathetic turn of events that have happened since that fall in the text in this article. What an absolute and utter disgrace.

The weather Gods smiled down on Eagle Farm last Saturday and forecast showers and “5-10mm” of rain thankfully didn’t arrive and a huge crowd was on hand to witness the three Group 1 races that were run on the day, which saw a narrow and nail biting win by Sizzling at his long odds-on quote and an easy win to both Brambles and Mid Summer Music.

The Stradbroke was sadly won by the enigmatic Mid Summer Music and her victory, the first by a mare since before World War 2 even started, was testament to the ordinary line-up of horses that contested the race. In fact it is doubtful if more than one or two genuine Group 1 horses started in the race. Mid Summer Music has hardly been a revelation of a racehorse to this point in time and her Stradbroke victory followed her pathetic Doomben 10,000 effort when she simply couldn’t pick her feet up. During the course of this week I’ll write one or two website articles on the big day at Eagle Farm leading into next Saturday’s Ipswich Cup.

Toowoomba jockey Nori Yamada had a fall early on Saturday evening at Clifford Park in Toowoomba and he was taken to hospital after the fall. They checked him over at the hospital and let him go home, but he woke up feeling ordinary on Sunday morning and he went back to hospital – where he underwent further tests - and he’s has now been diagnosed with a fractured L2 and L3 vertebra, which is simply more proof that doctors and hospitals bury their mistakes. Just terrific stuff – some of the hospital staff would obviously slot straight into a senior role in the racing industry with that sort of ability.

Again today there is something for everyone around the four websites. On www.brisbaneracing.com.au there's the story of the Aussie horse that won in England some 103 years before Choisir, plus there's the full update in what's happening on harness racing, including the passing of champion squaregaiter Knight Pistol. On www.sydneyracing.com.au there is the story on the breeding of last Saturday's Queensland Derby winner Brambles, whilst on www.melbourneracing.com.au Matt Nicholls writes a terrific story on the wonderful Mount Isa based bush jockey Keith Ballard.

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

Race 1 – Hoss Amor $4.60, Sunset Affair $31 and Saturn Rock $10
The opening race on Stradbroke Day was won by Hoss Amor and she was solid in the market at $4.60.
There was money for Saturn Rock at $11 and she ran third.
Discreet was always solid in the market at $5.50.
Tinszelda was hard to lay and eased out in the market.
Sookie was specked during betting, but she was out of her class and raced accordingly.
We started off with just a losing race.

Race 2 – Solzhenitsyn $1.85, Firebolt $3.80 and Playaction $26.00
$2.10 was bet about the chances of Solzhenitsyn and there was plenty of money about for him and he ran at $1.85.
There was money during betting for Firebolt at $3.80 and St Germaine was only specked.
There was no decent money for any other runner, so when cream came to the top via Solzhenitsyn winning well, we were losing.

Race 3 – Mental $1.55, Venture On $61.00 and Double Impact $12
This winner Mental was well backed at $1.55. There was no decent money for any other runner in the race, so it was just a matter of how much you wanted to donate, as he appeared to have a leg on them before the race and that’s the way it turned out. Class prevailed again.

Race 4 – Griffon $26.00, Royal Bender $15.00 and Audacious Spirit $8.00
There weren’t many good betting races on the day but this was one of them and the win of Griffon gave bookmakers a good result.
Royal Bender was backed late in betting at $17.
I laid Adebisi for good cash money.
Excellantes going for three in a row was well backed at $6.
There was good money for the topweight Facile Tigre at $5.50.
The best backed runner in the race was no doubt Seek And Find. He was $7 into officially $4.20 but he was the first horse backed. On paper he’s a 1000-metre specialist, which is obviously why he met with all the cash support, but he failed to fire on the day.
Paprika had some specking but they don’t seem to have the key to her anymore and Nuptse was specked also, but she had a legitimate excuse as she pulled up sore I see in the stewards report.

Race 5 – Sizzling $1.60, Kabayan $10.00 and Academus $7.00
Plenty of cash money arrived for this winner Sizzling and he was $1.70 into $1.60 at the jump and you could get what you wanted to out of the horse.
There was no money about for Academus.
Ninth Legion attracted a $2,000 bet at $17.
Boban attracted cash support at $5.50 and $6, but he bolted on the jockey, so you can ignore the run.
We wanted Sizzling beaten to get a big result, but a short head meant the difference between a nasty result and a good result and that’s racing.

Race 6 – Brambles $3.40, Quintessential $8.00 and Westsouthwest $7.50
Brambles just ran to his previous run and high-balled in front to lead all the way. He was well backed from $3.70 to run at $3.40 and there was plenty of money for him.
Quintessential was only specked and remained solid throughout betting at $8, but she’d have been a far better result for bookmakers.
Third placed Westsouthwest was well backed at $9.
Zabeelionaire was well backed on the phones at $5.50 but he didn’t have much luck and he got too far back.
I laid a $2,000 bet on Tunes at $21 and the winner’s stablemate Vatuvei attracted general public cash support right throughout betting.
So they backed a few in the race but the good thing won.

Race 7 – Mid Summer Music $31.00, Buffering $6.00 and Happy Zero $31.00
The Stradbroke was a good betting race and they backed everything in the race.
I laid a large bet on the winner at $30, so the win by Mid Summer Music was no good to me.
$7 was given about Buffering early and he ran $6 and was certainly the run of the race.
I laid a $2,000 bet on third placed Happy Zero at 40/1 and he ran a good race.
Temple Of Boom took out $20,000 in the biggest single bet I laid against him and Temple of Boom’s stablemate Spirit Of Boom attracted support during betting at $13.
There were a lot of $1,000 general cash money bets on Tiger Tees around the $8 and $9 mark and he just wasn’t up to them.
There was general cash money for the favourite Sea Siren and she firmed from $4.80 to run at $4.40 but she’s clearly had enough.
I was $7.50 throughout betting on Wealth Princess and found her hard to lay for decent money.
Most bookmakers had a good result on the race, but I ran into the winner.

Race 8 – Lights Of Heaven $3.40, Dance With Her $13.00 and Mawingo $2.90
There was good money for the last race winner Lights Of Heaven at $3.50 and $3.40 and she’s certainly in a purple patch of form.
The opening equal favourite Mawingo was very heavily backed and he firmed from $3.50 to run at $2.90. Money just kept coming for him.
I laid a large bet on Wazn which ran an improved race.
Scenic Shot was extremely well backed and I laid a string of bets against the horse, the biggest single one being a bet of $2,000 at $19.
There was a good move for The Verminator. He was backed on the phones from Sydney at $13 then that move was followed up here and he was into as short at $8 at one stage during betting.
Ironstein was well backed and they specked other roughies in the race for good money as well, so all in all the last was a terrific betting race.
I had a good result on the last race but it wasn’t enough to get me out on what was a losing day.

Lindsay will be fielding at Doomben today and he'll be back at Doomben on Wednesday before heading to the Sunshine Coast on Friday, prior to lobbing at Ipswich on Saturday for their signature Ipswich Cup meeting. Then he jumps in his jalopy and heads off to the Sunshine Coast on Sunday in his budgie smugglers, with no doubt a plethora of "old girls" from St Margarets stalking the former teen idol - all the way.

Don’t forget if you would like to visit Lindsay on the web you can do that by going to www.thevipclub.com.au.