Michael Lynch, The Age's expert on soccer, has had extensive experience of high level journalism in the UK and Australia. Michael has covered the Socceroos through Asia, Europe and South America in their past three World Cup campaigns. He has also reported on Grands Prix and top class motor sport from Asia and Europe. He has won several national media awards for both sports and industry journalism.
Its hard to upstage racing's best known name, Gai Waterhouse, but the Queen of the Turf was happy enough to play second fiddle to the other star names at Caulfield on Blue Diamond Day as David Hayes, Darren Weir, Craig Williams and Joao Moreira hogged the headlines.
It looks as though veteran winger Fahid Ben Khalfallah may have played his last game for Melbourne Victory after he was again omitted from the matchday squad for Saturday night's win over Adelaide United.
A marvellous Marco Rojas free kick and a deft Besart Berisha strike help Melbourne Victory secure a 2-1 win.
They call him the Magic Man, and star Brazilian jockey Joao Moreira sprinkled stardust all over Caulfield on Saturday when he showed just why he is so highly rated by booting home a double, including the Group One Oakleigh Plate aboard the flying mare Sheidel.
The Group One Futurity Stakes was always likely to become a Darren Weir benefit, and that's just how it turned out when his stable star, Black Heart Bart, got up in the final strides under regular partner Brad Rawiller to see off stablemate Tosen Stardom to give the Ballarat based handler a big race quinella.
Thank God that Australia has a finals system, Melbourne City coach Michael Valkanis declared after his 10-man team had eventually capitulated to league leaders Sydney 3-1 on Friday night.
Graham Arnold and his Sydney team have ticked off their first box.
When you fall off a horse the best way to regain confidence is to get straight back on.
Australia might have a reasonable claim to collectively be home to the best group of jockeys regularly riding against each other in the world.
Steven Lowy, the under-pressure chairman of the FFA, would do well to heed the advice of the soothsayer in Shakespeare's play Julius Caesar, who warned the emperor to beware the Ides of March.
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