Transformational South African leader Nelson Mandela once stated – without realising he was mentoring punters worldwide – that, “I never lose; I either win or I learn”.
The ideal scenario, as most experienced players will attest, is winning and learning at once.
Occasionally we get a “hamburger with the lot”, sometimes we win or learn in exclusion and mostly, despite our best intentions, we do neither.
Tonight, in the first metropolitan meeting staged at Tabcorp Park for seven weeks, the Our Maestro Free For All offers smart investors the chance to both profit and prepare.
In just over two months, Melton will host what promises to be the strongest Victoria Cup in many years and one month later Victoria will stage its first Inter Dominion series since 2019.
Broadly speaking, this evening’s open class pace is unlikely to harbour dramatic ramifications for such lofty upcoming targets – yet it might.
The Our Maestro, you see, is a litmus test of sorts.
In the wonderful world of southern hemisphere pacing, weekend warriors, with only moderate hopes of Grand Circuit glory, set a standard of sorts.
Gifted as they are, these standardbreds that entertain and enthrall us on a regular basis are almost always exposed against elite opposition.
This evening, that peloton of lovable, if not premier performers are represented by Torrid Saint, Bettor Be The Bomb, Tango Tara and Shortys Mate.
Tackling them tonight are the slightly more glamorous duo Line Up – winner of the 2020 New South Wales Derby – and Supreme Dominator – last year’s Cranborne Cup king.
It’s true that neither of these so-called “big guns” need to win at Tabcorp Park on what promises to be a chilly winter night, with far greater targets well within their vision.
Nevertheless, their reputations rely on this high quality yet relatively meagre assignment.
If neither horse strikes a serious blow against inferior opposition to what they’ll face going forward, hardened punters will subtly scratch a line through their chances at Group 1 level.
If either can prove dominant at a time where no single pacer stands tall, tongues will wag and wagering will follow.
It may not be one of the Inter Dominion’s golden ticket contests, yet this Our Maestro FFA will shape public opinion around its two headline contestants.
We may not win, but there’s little doubt we’ll learn.
She didn’t dominate the decision, but there’s little doubt the aura surrounding Ladies In Red inspired a call to stage The Make Mine Cullen on Victoria Cup night for the first time ever.
To their credit, the owners of Australia’s most marketable pacer – Bill and Anne Anderson - have been clear in their intentions to tackle female opposition throughout the spring and summer.
The challenge now is to highlight Ladies In Red while also focusing on the infinitely more important and prestigious Vic Cup on the same card.
The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.