Warning

[El Presidente]

Warning.

Exhibit one

Shagga Bowden. This man is extremely dangerous. Sees sunrise daily due to fact he hasn't arrived home yet.

Exhibit Two

This man is an idiot. Dean Merlo. without doubt the worst horse punter in the history of mankind when placing a couple of hundred on horse seven race seven.......simply because horse six race six won

Arrived at 12pm for a great lunch put on by Steve Harrison of the Melbourne Hotel. 20 of the FOH lads retired to the balcony for an afternoon of betting, cigars, drinks and laughs.

Lusky...dentist to the stars. Came out of the gates a little too strong and faded fast when the whips came out.

Desy

Smoothest talker of the group. Came out ot the gate hard......and sprinted the full race before crashing to the turf around 11pm.

Smithy looking a little like Steven Tyler (Aerosmith) with Warren. Smith ditched the blokes around 8pm to take home a shlapper. Warren last seen around same time.

It takes a certain type of man to be able to carry off wearing pink. Neither of these guys is that man.

Brothers Matty and PJ + Steve Vergotis. They look harmless. So does a blue ringed octopus.

Breaking up is always hard.

I won the melbourne cup with a bet on the winner Shocking. Up the better part of a grand...easy street. Then I listened to this man.

How on earth someone as successful as Dean can be such a punting dunce. I am just as bad. We were down a grand by late afternoon.....need to place a bet with the bookie for the last race in Sydney given there is no other way to get our money back. It made sense then

It lost.

Hang on! our great mate Artie who picked up serious dollars on the day (picked top 4 in Cup) tells us the Fix is in on the last race Perth. His mate knows the owner and it is all set....wink wink...but apologies for the odds of 3:1. No problem we said.....We Plunge! Even Smithy had money on it!

it came 4th in a six horse race

In the end our bookie refused to take any more bets. We retired to a bar and then the remaining eight of us out to dinner. I got home somewhere and somehow around 1am

Thanks for a great day fella's

[asmith]

I deny anything that Ayala mentioned took place except the part about Merlo betting.

[Bartolomeo]

Good stuff fellas, looks like fun times had by all

Bart

[bunburyist]

ha - looks like fun. I don't think I've ever been to the races and not had some 'insider' info from an owner or trainer, or even worse, someone who knows someone....

[Ken Gargett]

It takes a certain type of man to be able to carry off wearing pink. Neither of these guys is that man.

no disrespect, of course, but it does seem from the photos that there is a third man there who also fails to carry off pink.

and that had to be more fun than stuck in orcland waiting for the stumbling wombat to decide it is ready.

[bunburyist]

It takes a certain type of man to be able to carry off wearing pink. Neither of these guys is that man.

no disrespect, of course, but it does seem from the photos that there is a third man there who also fails to carry off pink.

and that had to be more fun than stuck in orcland waiting for the stumbling wombat to decide it is ready.

I was going to say Ken, but thought I'd leave it someone bolder. Next thing you know people will be thorwing cuban heels into the mix...

[Ken Gargett]

Next thing you know people will be thorwing cuban heels into the mix...

have you never seen ayala's sad collection of footwear?

[thechenman]

Wow...looks and sounds like a great time was had by all. That is not an easy feat after dropping a couple grand on the losing end of a few horse races.

[El Presidente]

have you never seen ayala's sad collection of footwear?

This from a man who owns one pair of flip flops, one pair of bunny ear slippers and one pair off Umpa Lumpa fishing shoes to go with his ridiculous fishing outfit.

[Warren]

I got home around 11.30 and boy was I in trouble.

But who cares I had a blast.

[bunburyist]

have you never seen ayala's sad collection of footwear?

I've had the pleasure of seeing him strut his stuff on the streets of Hong Kong...nothing overtly offensive, but you can never tell with these cigar merchant types.

[Ken Gargett]

This from a man who owns one pair of flip flops, one pair of bunny ear slippers and one pair off Umpa Lumpa fishing shoes to go with his ridiculous fishing outfit.

now it is on!

for the record, i do NOT own any flip flops (and when did you start using americanisms? they are thongs in australia and yes, i understand the confusion that might bring but so be it - and also for the record, i own NO thongs of any nature).

2. i do not, nor have i ever, owned a pair of bunny ear slippers. i would, however, love a pair so if you see one, let me know.

3. my fishing boots are state of the art and could be worn to formal functions if necessary. if there are a better pair of fishing boots on this planet than the latest simms, let me know. most of the nz guides are moving to these. and these are blokes who used to go through 3-4 pairs of boots a season until these came along. just because you fish in flippers, we are not all so challenged. i understand the flippers make it easier for you to dive in and retrieve whatever part of your gear has exploded today but they are not compulsory. step up.

[Ken Gargett]

I've had the pleasure of seeing him strut his stuff on the streets of Hong Kong...nothing overtly offensive, but you can never tell with these cigar merchant types.

i know you won't take offence but it is hard to take serious fashion advice from a man who has chopsticks up his nostrils and actually uses that very photo! fashions may differ between our nations - we have never understood the fascination with tying a hankerchief over your head - but even i know there are limits. and on that note, i now withdraw from all discussions re fashion as we are entering realms that are unfathomable to me.

[bunburyist]

i know you won't take offence but it is hard to take serious fashion advice from a man who has chopsticks up his nostrils and actually uses that very photo! fashions may differ between our nations - we have never understood the fascination with tying a hankerchief over your head - but even i know there are limits. and on that note, i now withdraw from all discussions re fashion as we are entering realms that are unfathomable to me.

Ye gods man....firstly, those are pencils not chopsticks. Secondly, those are underpants not a hankerchief and thirdly - what sort of heathen doesn't realise that the photo is of Capt. Blackadder from the series Blackadder Goes Forth? Rowan Atkinson, or 'Mr Bean' to those unfortunate not to have seen it. Also has Hugh Laurie who's now rather famous in the US it seems as well:

[Ken Gargett]

Ye gods man....firstly, those are pencils not chopsticks. Secondly, those are underpants not a hankerchief and thirdly - what sort of heathen doesn't realise that the photo is of Capt. Blackadder from the series Blackadder Goes Forth? Rowan Atkinson, or 'Mr Bean' to those unfortunate not to have seen it. Also has Hugh Laurie who's now rather famous in the US it seems as well:

crossed wires. yes, know and love blackadder and everything else the genius did. even liked the mr bean sequel movies (the scene in the square with the kid and the music box was truly brilliant).

my reference to hankies on heads was not re the photo but the general british habit of tying corners in one's hanky and putting it over one's head when one goes out into the sun, which i find bizarre in the extreme.

[bunburyist]

crossed wires. yes, know and love blackadder and everything else the genius did. even liked the mr bean sequel movies (the scene in the square with the kid and the music box was truly brilliant).

my reference to hankies on heads was not re the photo but the general british habit of tying corners in one's hanky and putting it over one's head when one goes out into the sun, which i find bizarre in the extreme.

ah, what a relief. A Blackadderless world is a barren one indeed.

I have never in my life seen anyone with a hanky on their head, just a few pictures of grandads doing it on a day out to the seaside - probably about as common as people round your way walking round with corks dangling from their hats...

[Ken Gargett]

I have never in my life seen anyone with a hanky on their head, just a few pictures of grandads doing it on a day out to the seaside - probably about as common as people round your way walking round with corks dangling from their hats...

fair point - never seen anyone with corks dangling, at least outside of films etc, but i do remember when i worked in london and it was a hot day, at lunch, all these pasty white bodies would emerge from offices and sit in parks to soak up the sun, and more than a few had the hany on the head thing, unless i mistook hankies for undies.

i am glad to hear it is no longer fashionable.

[CigarmanTim]

I got home around 11.30 and boy was I in trouble.

But who cares I had a blast.

In one ear and out the other brother

[Warren]

In one ear and out the other brother

I was lucky to have ears after the tongue lashing I received.

[CigarmanTim]

I was lucky to have ears after the tongue lashing I received.

Wait a minute Warren....I may have you confused with someone else but.... aren't you newly married? relatively recent? Is the honeymoon over? lol

[Warren]

Wait a minute Warren....I may have you confused with someone else but.... aren't you newly married? relatively recent? Is the honeymoon over? lol

Yes my friend you have me mistaken with Al.

I have been married for 18 LOOOOOOOONG years.

If I had killed someone I'd be a free man by now.

[Ellery]

Besides the pink shirts, looks like you guys had a fun time.

[dicko]

Besides the pink shirts, looks like you guys had a fun time.

pink, no! fuschia salmon maybe

[bunburyist]

Yes my friend you have me mistaken with Al.

I have been married for 18 LOOOOOOOONG years.

If I had killed someone I'd be a free man by now.

[Kangaroo495]

Smith ditched the blokes around 8pm to take home a shlapper

Looks like he wasn't the only one doing a bit of gardening that day