Irish bullshit.

"If the track is as firm on Tuesday as it is today I'll be asking Aidan [O'Brien] to scratch".

That threat - water the track to suit or else - came from Derrick Smith. Derrick just happens to be the part owner of Septimus, the Melbourne Cup favourite as well backed as he is weighted for the event. He wasn't alone. All of the overseas (read Irish and English) trainers have a view on the state of the Tuesday track. On Saturday night, at the barrier draw, almost all aired it. It's called pressure.

The track for Saturday's Derby meeting was "irrigated" to produce a slightly "dead" surface at day's beginning. Given the weather on the day it had dried to a good early in the programme. It is evident that connections of Septimus see this as not condcive to their horse. Why? Dermot Weld, two time winner and a master at the track's "dangerously hard" tactic, has the answer:

...if the ground is on the soft side I think he [Septimus] would be nearly unbeatable. The rest don't matter. He's that good a horse.

According to Tom Magnier of Collmore Stud it has nothing to do with the race, per se, and all to do with the horse's welfare:

We want to walk out of here with a horse," he said. "We want to look after Septimus. We don't want to risk him.

Of course, the 5.5 million on offerwill not feature in the minds of the managment and training team of a Cup favourite that excels in soft to heavy going now would it? Nooooo not one whit. Max Presnel, the ageless racing scribe from the SMH, says it better than I:

Certainly the Victoria Racing Club isn't entitled to apply more water, to get a surface to appease the O'Brien team. Already Septimus has been given an invitation to run with a lenient handicap. Hopefully, too, the message has hit home regarding team riding tactics applied by them at times overseas but just not permitted here. Makes you wonder whether they will want the Melbourne Cup switched to Royal Ascot for made-to-order conditions or even The Curragh for that matter.

To which I'd only add that it isn't as if these clowns think they're coming to race on Flanders Fields in France for God's sake. They well knew before coming what our tracks are like.