Williams should stick to the basics
Horse racing 
/ The Early Crow / 20 November 2009 / Leave a comment Bet Now View Market
Craig Williams got her into an awkward pocket and there’s a fair argument that his cute antics were again costly for punters.
Jockey Craig Williams has a challenging task on Ortensia from barrier 13 in Saturday's Railway Stakes, but his record on the mare can only improve.
Before going any further, it should be stated in no uncertain terms that this blogger does not agree with the majority of opinion concerning Ortensia's most recent run at Flemington.
The talented mare finished second of 16 in a 1400 metre listed race on Cup Day. She was bloused by the late-finishing Strawberry Field, a result that delivered a trailer load of cash into the pockets of punters prepared to take her on.
It was another costly miss for backers, who not for the first time piled into Ortensia at a prohibitive quote. Her race book form reads 'disappointed for a run' and there are plenty of spruikers claiming she was the best thing beaten over the carnival.
But this squawker reckons it's worth taking another look at the replay. The mare did in fact have every conceivable chance to win the race. She was in clear running from the 175 metre mark and got into stride fairly quickly. She was beaten fair and square by Strawberry Field.
But none of this excuses the fact that the mare should have been three lengths in front by the 150 metre mark. She was cantering behind a wall of average mares for most of the straight.
Craig Williams got her into an awkward pocket and there's a fair argument that his cute antics were again costly for punters.
It's surprising that Ortensia's talented trainer Tony Noonan continues to persist with Williams. Not only is he out of form, but he has an arguably poor record on Ortensia.
He managed to get the mare beaten at what seemed the generous odds of 8-15 at Randwick back in April. While the slow track didn't help, a replay of that race shows Williams was a little comfortable in the run to the line. The persuader was nowhere in sight.
And then the jockey wanted to ride All Silent in the Stradbroke in preference for Ortensia. That was despite a previous agreement to stick with the mare for that campaign. If I was Noonan, I'd have sacked him then and there.
Let's hope Williams uses common sense from barrier 13 at Ascot. I'd take Damien Oliver or Hugh Bowman any day over him, but there's no doubt he can ride when puts it all together. He just needs to stick to the basics and Ortensia will have a very good chance in the Railway Stakes.
