The Hangover

All bets are off
At a poker game with friends on Saturday night the play was stopped for a side bet.

The Premier League match between Chelsea and Manchester City was about to begin, but the bet wasn't about who would win between the first and fifth placed teams. It was of course all about former teammates Wayne Bridge and John Terry.

Would Bride shake Terry's hand before the match?

Half the guys at the poker table bet he would, out of custom and sportsmanship. The other half bet he wouldn't out of spite and disrespect.

A cheer went up when Bridge totally ignored Terry's outstretched hand, but no chips were handed over.

Those who lost the bet claimed they never shook on it.

A chance buy
The early-market leader and sentimental favourite for the $3.5 million Golden Slipper is a nuggetty filly by the name of Chance Bye.

Little-known Kembla Grange trainer Michael Tubman had eyes for the yearling at the 2009 Inglis Classic Yearling sale, but had to enlist the help of owner Jack Knight to actually pay the $15,000 price – which is peanuts in terms of the multi-million dollar thoroughbred racing industry.

The pair had a prior trainer-owner relationship with a horse called Geiger Spirit, so Knight decided to give Tubman a half share for sourcing Chance Bye, who is a Snitzel filly out of Rouge Femme.

''I won a couple of races with Geiger Spirit, and Geiger's mother and Chance Bye's mother are half-sisters,'' Tubman told The Sydney Morning Herald.

''She also had an arse like Geiger Spirit.''

Ridden by Kathy O'Hara, Chance Bye led all the way to thrash her rivals in the Silver Slipper at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday and has now won three races from three starts, amassing $473,000 in prizemoney.

Tubman plans to send his star filly straight into the Golden Slipper on Easter Saturday where the winner will receive $2 million, second place $620,000 and third $310,000.

Win or lose, it's another one of those fairytales that often pop up in the world of racing.

Twenty20 ramps up again
With the remote control of a certain pay TV organisation in hand on Sunday afternoon, I was able to flick channels between the Domestic one-day final between Victoria and Tasmania at the MCG and the second Twenty20 international between New Zealand and Australia in Christchurch.

While Tassie cruised through the first half of its innings without any loss of wicket, across the Tasman New Zealand's Brendon McCullum was taking the Aussie bowling attack apart.

McCullum scored 116 not out from 56 balls, expertly employing the 'ramp shot', also known as the 'lap sweep', 'paddle shot' or 'the scoop', which earned him multiple fours and sixes at extremely fine leg, or straight over the wicketkeeper's head. New Zealand finished with a huge 214 for 6 from 20 overs.

Meanwhile back at the MCG, the Tasmania innings was still going. Opening batsman Tim Paine scored 100 from 117 balls, with Tassie reaching 304 for 6 from 50 overs.

In Christchurch the Aussie run chase had already started and was fast heading for a thrilling finish. Captain Michael Clarke and big-hitting Cameron White almost guided the tourists to a memorable victory, falling one run short with the match tied at the end of 40 overs.

If McCullum was the Black Caps' hero with the bat, then Tim Southee was the man of the moment with the ball as he stifled the Aussie batting in his last two overs and then the 'Super Over' with some excellent full-pitched yorkers.

Unfortunately express-paced Shaun Tait could not do the same for Australia in the NZ Super Over, spraying a wide and offering batsmen McCullum and Martin Guptill too much width. It was a super win for NZ.

Back in Melbourne the match was meandering to a big victory for Tasmania. But it was late and I'd had my cricket fix so I didn't bother watching until the end.


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