With the Magic Millions debacle on the Gold Coast, Rosehill’s slack Saturday last week exceeded expectations and, hopefully, today’s Royal Randwick program, with a suspect Carrington Stakes, can produce a similar outcome.

And what a seven days it’s been: jockey Tom Berry – billed as a poster boy – outed for over a year mainly due to being the beneficiary of a sling; and the strong suggestion that arguably Australia’s best race, the Cox Plate, will get a date change to November.

Berry is riding on a stay of execution pending an appeal hearing. If a jockey pulls a horse up, particularly if I have backed it, tar and feathering is too good for them. But a present for a good tip? It’s in racing’s DNA. Surely three months to ponder the rules is tough enough.

The Cox Plate move will be yet another example of how The Everest – a Peter V’landy’s promotion – has changed the face of Australian racing if it is to follow the Melbourne Cup as suggested. Rusted as I am to tradition, and taking into consideration the success of moving Flemington’s Mackinnon Stakes from Derby Day to the following Saturday’s Champions program, why not?

But bread and butter racing, compared to water-logged Gold Coast glitz a week ago, returns to Randwick where the feature, the Carrington, is listed in name but questionable in quality. Topweight Looks Like Elvis is an eight-year-old, which was once a good reason to exclude a horse from the main chances. Still, trainer Jarrod Austin has done a commendable job keeping this meal ticket vibrant, and Australia’s top-rated racehorse is Nature Strip, the same vintage.

However, the sprint has the Joe Pride influence so relevant at Rosehill last Saturday. While millions were sprayed on yearlings at the Gold Coast, the trainer had a double with hand-me-downs Hokkaido and Mariamia. Today he supplies the Carrington with Titanium Power and Snippy Fox, hardly world-beaters but money-spinners ready to rumble. Pride’s Lekvarte, too, is worthy of attention in the Fujitsu.

While the trainer’s expertise shone at Rosehill, so too did the saddle skill of apprentice Dylan Gibbons, who was cool under the pressure of being forced wide on Mariamia and whose two-kilo claim proved vital with his other successes, Kalino and Dalaalaat.

Still, he didn’t get the ride of the program. That went to another apprentice. Take a bow Amy McLucas, justifiably tagged “Amy McBrave” by race caller Darren Flindell, himself an entertainer now in the style of Bert Bryant. McLucas took an opening on Trooper Knuckle that would have forced the man from Snowy River to take a hold.