Horse Racing: 2010 Melbourne Cup barrier draw & field

View full field and barriers at: http://www.cupcarnival.com.au/2010/10/30/2010-melbourne-cup-barrier-draw-field/

Horse Racing: Lion Tamer wins AAMI Victoria Derby

New Zealand trained horse Lion Tamer has taken out this years AAMI Victoria Derby.


He won convincingly by about 6 lengths. I didn't bet on this race but I was hoping that Praecido would win the race. Unfortunately he finished second, just in front of  Retrieve. 


Lion Tamer's odds for a win was $13. 

News: Fresh terrorism threat for US

The United States has a new "credible terrorist threat" as quoted by President Barack Obama in an announcement he made after authorities discovered two suspicious packages on cargo planes in transit for the United States, one package was found on a plane in Dubai, the other was found in Britain. 


The packages had originated in Yemen and were addressed to Jewish synagogues in Chicago. The two packages were indeed carrying explosive materials. President Obama immediately ordered cargo planes at Philadelphia and Newark international airports to be isolated and checked for further packages from Yemen.


The Pentagon even sent two fighter jets to escort an Emirates Airlines passenger plane carrying cargo from Yemen, the plane was escorted from the Canadian border to New York City as a precautionary act.


Yemen is now being linked to this event but the Yemeni Government released a statement saying that no UPS cargo planes had taken off from Yemen bound for British or American airports.


I think that things like this are always going to happen as long as there is a war in Afghanistan. The only thing the US Government is doing at the moment is tightening the security in the US, sure this is good if your flying out of the US but the threat is on the US. This just inconveniences travelers while the Government still has no control over incoming flights to the US. 


I think that the US troops should be pulled out of Afghanistan and peace should be made without any violence. However if this does not work I guess the US will just have to keep working with other countries to create alliances and get tighter security in airports across the world. 

NBA: Lakers edge past Rockets in season opener

The new look Los Angeles Lakers have beaten the Houston Rockets 112-110 in Los Angeles. 
The night started with the championship ring presentation. The Lakers players walked one by one to centre court and received their immensely huge ring with several diamonds before introducing the next player in line with uplifting comments. 


The defending champions had a dream run last year but this match was far from a dream. The players were pushed to their limits. It was also a special night for Houston, star player Yao Ming returned from a serious foot injury which kept him out for the whole of last season.


I think this was a really good test for the Lakers. As a Lakers supporter I was expecting the back to back champions to win this game quite comfortably. However i was shocked when I went on the NBA website and saw that the Lakers were losing 110-109 with 29.5 seconds remaining in the game.


But with 18.8 seconds remaining new Laker recruit Steve Blake hit a game winning three point shot. 


Kobe Bryant had 27 points and 7 assists as the Lakers started their quest to win three NBA championships in 3 years.   

Stoner wins Australian MotoGP

Australian MotoGP rider Casey Stoner won his fourth straight Australian MotoGP at Phillip Island. He dominated from start to finish after he started from pole position. 


Stoner finished more than eight seconds ahead of new world champion Jorge Lorenzo with the Spaniard's Yamaha teammate Valentino Rossi third, a further 9.5 seconds back. Rossi did well to finish third after he started from 6th position on the grid.


I didn't watch the race but Stoner must have ridden his heart out to get such a commanding win. 

NHL: Capitals beat Predators in OT

The Washington Capitals have kept their winning streak alive after beating a top ranked Nashville 3 - 2 in OT. 


The Predators were dominating the game 2 - 0 before the Capitals started to play some amazing hockey in the second period. By then it was all over, Alexander Ovechkin scored again and lead his team to victory.

NHL: Montreal edge Ottawa

Montreal has won their first game at home this season after beating Ottawa 4 - 3.


Montreal is starting to play very well and are looking like a real threat.

NHL: Montreal beat Buffalo

It was a fairly straight forward game for Montreal goalie Carey Price, he made 22 saves from 23 shots.


Montreal stayed calm and won 2 - 1 in Buffalo.

NHL: Penguins beat Islanders for first win in new home

The Pittsburgh Penguins have beaten the New York Islanders 3 - 2 in Overtime to clinch their first win in the new Consol Energy Centre.


Alex Goligoski's power-play goal 1:51 into overtime gave the Penguins the win. His shot was deflected by an opposition player and ended up in the goal. 

NHL: Goalie leads Colorado to victory

Colorado goalie Craig Anderson had a night out. He amassed 41 saves from 43 shots and wasn't even breathing heavily. He was the star on the night and lead his team to a 3 - 2 win over New Jersey.

NHL: Toronto Maple Leafs remain unbeaten

Toronto travelled to new York today to play the New York Rangers in what turned out to be a brilliant game. New York came back late to tie the game yet couldn't deliver the winning goal in Overtime. 


Phil Kessel was the star for Toronto, he scored 2 goals including the match winner and helped his team to a 4 - 3 win. Toronto remain unbeaten after four games this season.

NHL: Panthers shutout Flames to snatch first win

Florida has beaten Calgary 3 - 0 to get their first win this season. The stars for Florida were their goalie who amassed 27 saves from 27 shots and Radek Dvorak, who scored 2 goals.

NHL: Dallas beat Detroit to ruin Modano's return

Dallas has beaten Detroit 4 - 1 to ruin (former Dallas player) Mike Modano's homecoming. Modano's Detroit were playing catch up all game long and never got into a rhythm.

Dallas took full advantage of this and got out to an unassailable lead. Brad Richards was the star for Dallas, scoring 2 goals.

NHL: Minnesota secure first win

Minnesota Wild has beaten the Edmonton Oilers to secure their first win of the season in their first game at home. Minnesota were happy to host the Oilers and won 4 - 2.


Mikko Koivu was the star for Minnesota, scoring 2 goals.

NHL: Predators beat Blues for third straight win

The Nashville Predators have won their third straight game after edging out St. Louis Blues, 4 - 3 in Nashville. 


Nashville were always going to win, especially when their goalie made 32 saves and Steve Sullivan scored two goals. 

NHL: Ottawa upset Carolina

Ottawa has miraculously beaten the Carolina Hurricanes 3 - 2 in Carolina.
Ottawa were at the bottom of the conference ladder and were going up against a well placed Carolina team. 


Carolina was coming back from a tour of Europe and were playing away from home.


It was an interesting matchup and the Hurricanes made a late comeback but it wasn't enough, Ottawa's early lead got them the win.   

NHL: Tampa Bay scrape past Philadelphia

Airline Pilot dies during flight

The pilot of a Qatar Airways flight from Philippines to Qatar has died as the plane was in the air. The plane was forced to divert to Kuala Lumpur and then change crew in the Malaysian capital.


The 43 year old Indian complained of chest pains and the co-pilot requested to land in Kuala Lumpur.    


I think this could have been much worse yet the pilot did well to speak up and the co-pilot worked well to get the plane down.

Two horses scratched from Caulfield Cup

Master O'Reilly is the second horse to be scratched from Saturday's Caulfield Cup.  The horse suffered a bout of colic and was forced out by his trainer. The first horse to be pulled today was Rosehill Guineas winner Zabrasive. 


Master O'Reilly would have been running in his fourth consecutive Caulfield Cup. He is best remembered for his 2007 Caulfield Cup victory when favourite Maldivian injured himself in the barriers. 


I don't think O'Reilly would have won the race anyway. He has lacked form and in treacherous weather he would have had no hope.  

Medal Tally after day 11 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Medal Tally after day 10 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Medal Tally after day 9 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Medal Tally after day 8 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Medal Tally after day 7 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Melbourne Marathon 2010

Today I took part in the 2010 St George Melbourne Marathon. I ran the 5.7 km race that ended with a lap of the MCG.

It was a glorious day to head out to the city. Earlier in the day a record 27,000 people ran in the 42.2km Marathon.

I ran well but the heat really got to me, I was exhausted and desperately needed a break and it couldn't have come soon enough, I finished and went straight for the drinks station.

The event ran very smoothly and it was another successful Melbourne Marathon.  

Holden one-two at Mount Panorama

Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife have lead Team Vodafone to a historic win in Today's Bathurst 1000 at Mount Panorama. 


Craig Lowndes was given the task of driving the last 79 laps of the exhausting 161 lap race. It was a fairytale ending for Holden and for Team Vodafone, Jamie Whincup and Steve Owen finishing second. Holdens dominated the podium, the earliest placed Ford finished fifth.

I think it was a great race and a well deserved victory for Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife. I didn't watch it because I was at the Melbourne Marathon but I saw some exciting moments in the race. The most exiting moment i believe was on lap 1. Fabian Coulthard crashed out at 300kmh, he rolled six times but surprisingly walked out without a scratch. 


  


  

Medal Tally after day 6 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Medal Tally after day 5 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Man arrested carrying a machete on Melbourne train

This afternoon turned into a hectic hour after a man about 70 years old was arrested on my train after he was caught with a machete in his possession.


I first noticed the man when I arrived at Auburn train station. My friend told me that there was an old man at the end of the platform with a machete.


 I didn't know what to think at that stage, I had seen people do silly things on platforms but I had never seen someone with a weapon.


The man was old and wearing a bucket hat, a blue shirt and brown pants. I then told my sister and her friends about the man and they started to get a bit worried.


The man was walking up and down the platform very slowly holding what clearly was a machete. I was standing on the platform when he walked right next to me, he then stopped and looked down the tracks as if something was worrying him. At this sight I decided to walk away without being too obvious.


As our train pulled up me my sister and her friends all walked away from where the man was getting on, we got on one of the last carriages.


During the trip my sisters friend decided to call the police. She gave them a great description of the man and where we were and then hung up. As we arrived at our first stop we looked to see if the man had got off, however he stayed on. Apparently there were police that just didn't make it to the train station on time to catch the man.


We reached the next station and the train stopped as per usual and we again looked to see if the man had got off, he hadn't. It had seemed like we had been stopped at the station for a bit longer than usual, I was starting to get worried that something had happened involving the man with the knife.


It wasn't until I saw about four police cars show up at the station that I realised what was going on. The call had been responded to and the police were looking for the man. We were worried at this point in time because we didn't know where the man was or if he had done something bad.


A man and a woman from Victoria Police game running through our carriage armed with pepper spray and wearing bullet proof vests looking for then man. We told the police officers that he was in either the second or the third carriage.


After about 10 minutes of chaos and uncertainty the man was taken out of the train surrounded by police. It was an amazing 10 minutes or so, people were crying, others were just completely confused by all the police.


Unfortunately I can't confirm no one was injured on the train, however the Ambulance did not come so it seems to me that no one was harmed.


I have tried to show you some of the chaotic moment on my phone, i hope the quality isn't too bad for you.  

Medal Tally after day 4 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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QANTAS flight terror

A flight from Melbourne to London via Hong Kong turned into a nightmare for the passengers and crew on board. At some point during it's journey a passenger "became disruptive" and started shouting death threats to the passengers on board. 


A Woman on the flight said that she heard a man praying in what she thought was Hebrew, he then started shouting: "I'm going to kill myself, you are all going to die, it will be God's will, what will be will be, I'm going to open the door."


The man was subdued by the crew and was handed over to Hong Kong authorities.


I think that it is very lucky that none of the 280 passengers on board were injured.


Source: www.theage.com.au

Josh Fraser joins Gold Coast Suns

Collingwood ruckman Josh Fraser has become Gold Coast's last uncontracted player. I think he made a very smart decision, he only played nine games for Collingwood this year and he will join great players at the new club.

I think that Michael Malthouse had a grudge on Fraser, he only just let him play his 200th game for the club in round 22. 


Collingwood are now in search of a new secondary ruckman.

Shane Perkins becomes second Australian athlete to flip the finger

Australian cyclist Shane Perkins became the second Australian athlete to flip the finger last night. The cyclist was disqualified during the gold medal race after he was slightly involved in a crash. 


Perkins gave the officials an angry two fingered salute after the decision which i think was very harsh. The crash seemed like it had nothing to do with him, it was an error made by the other cyclist. 


However it is an uneccecery act and people should know better than to argue with the umpires decision.


This is the second incident of it's type after an Australian wrestler was disqualified for head-butting, he then flipped the finger in disagreement of what had been a fair decision. It was an unruly move and it was just plain silly.


I think that all athletes have to think about who is watching them before they make stupid decisions and bring their country into disrepute.  

Medal Tally after day 3 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Medal Tally after day 2 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Europe win back Ryder Cup

Europe has reclaimed golf's prestigious Ryder Cup after they won 14 and 1/2  to 13 and 1/2.


It was the closest Ryder Cup since 1999 and it all came down to the last match up, McDowell v Mahan. The Northern Irishman was up by three points with seven holes left to play but consecutive errant shots put Mahan back in the race. But McDowell stunned us all by sinking a 15 foot putt on hole number 16. When Mahan struggled on the 17th, Europe had the win wrapped up and McDowell finished strong to reclaim the Ryder Cup for Europe. It was their first win since back in 2006 when they smashed the Americans 9 and 1/2 to 18 and 1/2. 


I think that this was a great learning curve for the Americans, Tiger Woods is starting to play a lot better and showed signs of his past magic.     

Medal Tally after day 1 of Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games

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Drama at the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games

After a beautiful opening ceremony to kick start the Games, there has been high drama today on the swimming pool.


Australian swimmer Nick D'Arcy's campaign is over, after years of hard work D'Arcy had to swim in his only event of the day, the 200m butterfly. His chances were pretty good in this race but he was up against a strong field of competitors. D'Arcy finished fourth in the heat, not enough to get him through to the next round. His chances of winning a medal has slipped away, he was obviously shattered and will now sit back and cheer his teammates on.

Thor Hushovd wins men's elite world cycling Championships

Thor Hushovd (AKA: The God of Thunder) has taken out the 2010 men's elite UCI Road cycling Championships in Geelong. Cadel Evans had to hand over the rainbow jersey after he could only manage 17th position in the 262.7 kilometer race. However it was a successful day for Australia, Allan Davis finished third after being out sprinted in the final straight.

Australia lead the overall medal tally in an amazing few days of cycling.

Geelong coach Mark Thompson quits

Geelong coach Mark Thompson has today announced his resignation as Geelong coach. The question isn't whether or not he will coach another club, he will most likely not coach at all. 


He told the press that he got tired of coaching and didn't want to coach anymore. I think this is the start of a huge downfall and not only club morale but performance on the field will be effected by all these changes that have arisen at the club. 


Geelong has now lost a premiership player (Gary Ablett) and a premiership coach in Mark Thompson. However the club is trying to stay positive, telling the press that it is the start of a new era in Geelong.    

Magpies celebrate 2010 AFL premiership with fans

Collingwood has celebrated their 2010 AFL Grand Final win over St Kilda with their beloved fans. Tens of thousands of Collingwood faithful were packed into Gosch's Paddock to get a piece of the action they had missed out on for 20 years.

It was revealed that Alan Didak had played the whole finals series with a torn pectoral muscle. The fact that he was relying on pain-killers is amazing, it shows that he really wanted to play in the Grand Final.

I think it's amazing that 20,000 people can all come together in one place to celebrate one team. It shows how dedicated the Collingwood fans really are. We'll be hearing about this premiership for years to come.

Collingwood wins 2010 AFL Grand Final

Collingwood has today broken their 20 year drought by winning the 2010 AFL Grand Final. It was a glorious day for footy in Melbourne as the two teams who drew last week played in what would be the decider. 


Collingwood got off to another great start and never looked back. The pies smashed St Kilda: 16.12 (108) to 7.10 (52) win.


Scott Pendlebury deserved the Norm Smith Medal racking up 29 possessions. St Kilda never got into a rhythm and couldn't get the ball inside 50, when they did they could only manage to kick points. Collingwood were definitely the better team on the day and deserved to win.


Information below courtesy of www.afl.com.au


Collingwood    3.2    6.5    11.8    16.12 (108)
St Kilda           0.2    1.8     4.9      7.10 (52)
GOALS
Collingwood: Sidebottom 2, Didak 2, Wellingham 2, Macaffer 2, Dawes 2, Thomas, Swan, Johnson, O'Brien, Jolly, GoldsackSt Kilda: Milne 2, Dal Santo, Goddard, Hayes, Gilbert, Koschitzke
BEST
Collingwood: Pendlebury, Jolly, N Brown, Sidebottom, Ball, Shaw, Thomas, Wellingham St Kilda: Goddard, Gwilt, Dawson, Gilbert, Jones
INJURIES
Collingwood: Reid (leg)St Kilda: Eddy (arm), Fisher (hamstring)
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Chamberlain, Ryan, Rosebury
Official crowd: 93,853 at the MCG     

Commonwealth Games: McMahon named flag bearer for Australia

Australian netballer and captain of the national team, Sharelle McMahon was announced last night as Australia's flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi. 


She will become the first netballer to carry the Australian flag in the history of the games. This has given the Australian netball team even more motivation to go out and perform. The Diamonds are looking for revenge after they lost to New Zealand by 5 points in the 2006 Commonwealth Games netball final in Melbourne.


I think that it is good to see all sports being recognised, She is a great athlete and role model and she deserves this huge privilege.