racingmeridian.com

The Hurt Locker is a brilliant blur of a film. Unmistakably a Kathryn Bigelow work, the movie uses the thesis “War Is A Drug” to explain how a man who is competent, focused and a father, deteriorates and dissolves into a course of action that must ultimately lead to his death. The Hurt Locker is a classic war film, joining Apocalypse Now and Full Metal Jacket as the most important reflections on military conflict, and the associated human costs, ever produced by American cinema…I had enjoyed Bigelow’s work in the early eighties and then lost touch with her. She struggled through some lean years, including stewarding one of those big budget Hollywood films to colossal bomb status. She was “on the outs” with the establishment and it is devious to suggest otherwise. But she evidently maintained her crisp and precise vision of filmmaking and waited for another chance. Hers is a miracle of a comeback, something that I really celebrate and am humbled by…the final scene of the film is sublime, and eerily reminiscent of the end of Point Break. The key to both scenes is the comprehension that both men are engaged in a way of life that they deem essential to their existence, and that, as Keanu Reeves remarks in the former film, they aren’t “coming back”. That Hurt Locker features a much stronger and cogent analysis of the lead character than Point Break is a testament to Bigelow’s growth as an artist. Bigelow uses the touchstones of American film i.e. the inability to connect with a girlfriend, the rampant consumerism at home as a contrast to the depravity of the war zone; but never lets the ruminations become maudlin or clichéd. She is light fingered and fast, and at times she seems to step out of the film and let it hurtle along at its own breakneck pace. I truly understand, now, why Quentin Tarantino cast his support for Bigelow as Best Director at the recent Academy awards; this is a work of genius, an uncompromising, unflinching portrait of humanity in the most difficult and dangerous circumstances. It’s been a long time coming, but Bigelow has come in from the rain…

…hmmm, Cohen brothers, Scorcese, Tarantino, Lynch, Scott, Anderson (that’s P T , though Wes is getting close) and, now Bigelow? Absolutely, yes. My pantheon of favourite directors has just grown by one…unfortunately, the Panic Room and the execrable Benjamin Button resulted in the removal of David Fincher from my list…

NEW ORLEANS LADIES…RACHEL ALEXANDRA catches a very tricky group today particularly as, according to her trainer, she is not fully “cranked”.  The group has a speed demon in Fighter Wing, meaning Rachel will not have an easy time up front, and a deep closer, Clear Sailing, who is unbeaten in three starts at the track, meaning Rachel cannot relax late. The real threat, however, could be Zardanna. The six year old mare is in rare form and accounted for the Grade 2 Bayakoa at Hollywood in December. She was just in behind Grade 1 winners St Trinians and Life Is Sweet in her last and, as a stable mate to the illustrious “California Cow”, is in here with murderous intentions. Rachel’s works have been uncharacteristically mediocre and only a fool could bet her with enthusiasm at odds-on this afternoon. So that’s what I intend to do - and I’ll say screw the form and use the unheralded longshot Unforgotten beneath her. Why? The other runners in the field will have exacting strategies focused on upsetting the Horse of the Year. If Rachel demoralizes them, her specialty when at her best, then they may produce awkward performances. Unforgotten, on the other hand, will simply ignore Rachel and try to get second place money. She has no chance of ever defeating the Queen of Racing and her connections know it. She is here strictly for a piece of the pie, and she may get it…

SANTA MARGARITA…ZENYATTA hasn’t missed a beat in her preparations and is strictly the one to beat in California this afternoon. Gripsholm Castle is an intriguing runner who can improve in her second start in America. The filly showed real potential at Haydock last September and now looks to regroup. Pretty Unusual can pick up the pieces for Chantal Sutherland.

PACQUIAO - CLOTTEY…the current odds have Pacquiao at -700 and Clottey at +500, a slight revision in Clottey’s favour from yesterday. The over / under is set for 9.5 rounds (a minute and thirty seconds into the tenth those holding an over would be winners) with the over at -155 and the under at +125. The expectation, then, is for a grueling contest with Pacquiao winning late.

A couple of quick points; Miguel Cotto was contractually forced to weigh below the welterweight limit for his fight with Pacquiao on November 14^th/2009. Cotto weighed in at 145 lbs, well below the 147 that had drained him in previous contests. No such restriction will be placed on Clottey and he will reportedly enter the ring at 164 lbs tonight. Yes, 164 lbs! This is by far the biggest man Pacquiao has ever faced. The other welterweight Pacman faced, Oscar De La Hoya, also weighed 145 and he looked old and drained.

Since winning a close and hard fought decision over Juan Manuel Marquez on March 15^th2008, when he weighed 129 lbs (a mere two years ago!), Pacman has been destructive, simply demolishing four quality opponents (yes, David Diaz deserves that shout-out, Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, Miguel Cotto) in an almost historically unprecedented fashion. He now weighs 146 lbs, utterly ripped and with a noggin the size of a caramel coloured flying saucer. A veteran fight man like Freddie Roach should know the need to address a boxing community that, quietly and behind the scenes, is becoming absolutely unhinged at the antics of Pacquiao. No matter what you read in the mainstream media, in the brotherhood of the glove, more and more top class fighters are remarking on the implausibility of a highly conditioned athlete gaining 17 lbs of muscle in two years and becoming faster and more vicious at every turn.

Tonight is an acid test, a bout fraught with importance. If Pacquiao struggles, a realistic expectation,  we can look back and surmise that, well, De La Hoya, Hatton and Cotto, for various reasons, were on the downside of their careers and highly vulnerable when meeting the Filipino. Their losses will make sense. There will be a quiet and a comfort knowing the world of pugilism has returned to a place of meaning and order.

If, on the other hand, Pacquiao bitch slaps a man who has fought and defeated the best, and has never been legitimately stopped (one DQ), then, realistically, Pacquiao will have to undergo stringent testing to prove his unparalleled accomplishments are achieved through hard work and dedication, and not through a syringe.

Its fight night, folks, and this is a big one.

Me? I’ll chill with the angels and say Manny has never cheated. But that also means he’s in for a fight tonight and, punters of the world, this is no time to be cowardly. The bet is Clottey by a split decision in a wicked, classic display of counter punching and grit…