On a typical Saturday afternoon Melbourne metro race meeting you will find Allana Burns. The well-respected form analyst can be found standing against the rails, race book in hand when the field jumps from the barriers. Allana is not your standard form analyst. Being a young woman, she has learnt the ins and outs of finding winners.

Allana's interest in horse racing started as a hobby but after realizing her talent for studying the form guide she decided to take it seriously, never losing her passion for the sport.

This week we get Allana's tips for the last four races at Moonee Valley for the Cox Plate Day and continue to learn how to read the form for ourselves this week it's speed maps.

Twitter @allanaburns

Web: www.allanaburns.com

On a typical Saturday afternoon Melbourne metro race meeting you will find Allana Burns. The well-respected form analyst can be found standing against the rails, race book in hand when the field jumps from the barriers. Allana is not your standard form analyst. Being a young woman, she has learnt the ins and outs of finding winners.

Allana's interest in horse racing started as a hobby but after realizing her talent for studying the form guide she decided to take it seriously, never losing her passion for the sport.

This week we get Allana's tips for the last four races at Caulfield and continue to learn how to read the form for ourselves.

Twitter @allanaburns

Web: www.allanaburns.com

Leading basketball coach Guy Molloy has backed the new-look Deakin Melbourne Boomers with a new three-year deal that promises to see the team continue to build for the future.

The commitment takes Molloy's tenure with the team - which was rescued from potential closure by a group of financial supporters earlier this year - to at least the end of the 2018/19 WNBL season.

Two-time WNBL Coach of the Year, the highly-regarded Molloy has successfully played a key role in developing the likes of Australian Opals Rebecca Allen and Tess Madgen in recent years.

We talk to guy about the team and his contract extension.

Website http://wnbl.com.au/melbourne/home/

To book tickets to games: www.trybooking.com/BOOMERS

twitter @MelbourneBoomer #BoomersAreBack #PurplePower

We talk to Amanda about her family's involvement with the Melbourne Racing Club, and the country racing club they are also now involved with.

Amanda Catanach is the 5th generation of Catanach's to own and manage Catanach's Jewellers, one of Melbourne's iconic family businesses, steeped in traditional and timeless style, service, manufacturing and bespoke design.

Amanda, and her father Blair before her, have forged close ties with the Melbourne Racing Club, manufacturing the solid gold Caulfield Cup, the prestigious and stunning Blue Diamond Stakes Necklace, the Catanach's Blue Sapphire Stakes Necklace, The New Zealand Bloodstock Weight for Age Trophy, The Toorak Handicap, Caulfield Stakes, Underwood and all Group 1 trophies. Amanda is also a major sponsor of the Melbourne Racing Club and is involved as a member of the MRC Foundation Board - the philanthropic arm of the MRC.

Amanda is an qualified gemmologist and jewellery designer, and spends much of her week designing and creating bespoke jewellery for her clients.

www.catanachs.com.au

For more than two decades, Karen Lyon has covered Melbourne and its sporting obsessed culture. She was a political reporter before crossing over the boundary line to sport in 1999 and has been covering the world of sport ever since.

Karen has witnessed some of the world's biggest sporting events for The Age newspaper, and has been a regular contributor the ABC's sports coverage over the journey. The occasional television spot, and a slight addiction to social media means she has covered off most forms of modern media.

As well as continuing to freelance as a journalist, Karen teaches Sport Education and Media at The University of Melbourne, a subject that looks at the influences of commerce and media on sport, and asks does sport drive equality in our society?

17th October 2016

SESSION: THE RISE OF WOMEN'S SPORT "Opportunity or Opportunism?"

SPEAKERS: Angela Pippos, Karen Lyon, Chloe Saltau and Danielle Warby.

TIME: 18:30-20:30

VENUE: Supper Room, Melbourne Town Hall, 90-120 Swanston Street, Melbourne, Victoria

SESSION INFO: Women's sport is on the rise. The growth of professional netball and T20 cricket, the establishment of the first AFL women's competition and the rising prominence of national teams like football's Matilda's and the gold medal winning rugby 7's team has given women's sport in Australia unprecedented profile. Does this represent a revolution in sport? Is it world of new opportunity or simply opportunism by traditional male dominated sport?

Website http://sportswritersfestival.com.au

On a typical Saturday afternoon Melbourne metro race meeting you will find Allana Burns. The well-respected form analyst can be found standing against the rails, race book in hand when the field jumps from the barriers. Allana is not your standard form analyst. Being a young woman, she has learnt the ins and outs of finding winners.

Allana's interest in horse racing started as a hobby but after realizing her talent for studying the form guide she decided to take it seriously, never losing her passion for the sport.

Allana will be join us on RSN's Sporting Women for the spring to help us read the form and also preview the major races over the spring.

Twitter @allanaburns

Web: www.allanaburns.com

As a young girl in England Lizzie Jelfs loved riding ponies. She carried this passion for horses into adulthood, working for a trainer who taught her most of what she knows about the industry today. With a burning desire to travel, Lizzie was fortunate enough to have contacts at Lindsay Park in Melbourne where she still works 15 years on. Before her current role as stable manager at Lindsay Park, Lizzie was their travelling foreman, accompanying horses interstate as well as overseas to Japan, the UAE, Hong Kong, Singapore and, in a career highlight, to Royal Ascot in England. Starting a family curtailed her ability to travel, so her career as a stable manager began. Her role encompasses looking after the entire running of the stable, from coordinating how trackwork runs to managing the staff - and you'll still find her mucking out the stables. Lizzie recently added another string to her bow - that of broadcaster for Racing.com. Providing the 'paddock report' and essentially using her extensive knowledge to analyse each runner in the mounting yard, Lizzie offers assessments on each horse's race readiness based on temperament and physical appearance. With nothing but positive experiences in the racing industry, Lizzie has never felt that obstacles were put in her way because she is a woman.

Lizzie is one of the featured women in the Victoria Racing Club's new exhibition highlighting the extraordinary women working behind the scenes of the Australian horse racing industry. The exhibition features stunning portraits of nine women at work as they prepare for Australia's premier thoroughbred racing event - the 2016 Melbourne Cup Carnival. The free exhibition is on show in Sofi's Lounge at Sofitel Melbourne On Collins daily from 9am until 5pm until Sunday, 27 November, 2016.

Twitter @LizzieJelfs

https://www.flemington.com.au/melbourne-cup-carnival/

Twitter @FlemingtonVRC

#MelbCupCarnival #Flemington

Jacqueline Dinan finds it inspiring to read about pioneering and heroic women, a passion that is reflected in her work. With an undergraduate arts degree and a postgraduate in training and development, Jacqueline has been employed in corporate public relations and human resources. She grew up on a farm in South Gippsland, Victoria and has always admired horses.

Historical Fiction - Racing the Boys Granny McDonald was a trailblazer in the male dominated world of horse training. Launching October 4, 2016

Hedwick 'Granny' McDonald is a remarkable woman, soon to become a household name.. Racing the Boys is a fictional interpretation of her groundbreaking journey in the traditionally male domain of horse training.

Her career reached its climax with Catalogue, a little-known eight-year-old gelding, winning the 1938 Melbourne Cup. Her name does not appear in official record books though, the feat was instead credited to her husband, as then, the Victoria Racing Club did not issue trainer's licences to women. Sheila Laxon was credited with this feat when Ethereal won in 2001.

'Jacqueline Dinan imaginatively melds fact with fiction to tell Granny's inspirational story ... Granny is the true-life forerunner of champion women in racing.'

Dr Andrew Lemon, VRC Historian

Simona has partnered up with Renee Gracie in the Harvey Norman Supergirls racing for Nissan Motorsports

again in this year's Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000. Simona has also recently signed on to drive in the

Virgin Australia Supercars Championship for the next three years, starting in 2017.

One of the world's leading female racing drivers, Simona commenced her career in

karting at the age of six, before graduating to circuit racing in the Formula Renault 2.0

category in Italy in 2005. Thereafter Simona moved to the USA and Formula BMW,

before graduating to the Formula Atlantic Championship where she finished third in the

2009 championship.

IndyCar was next, where Simona would contest over 70 races between 2010 and 2015,

with a career-best finish of second at Houston in 2013, finishing the same year in 13th

championship position. Simona is one of just three female drivers to have claimed a

podium in the history of IndyCar.

Simona has also contested five Indianapolis 500 events, with a best finish of 14th in

2010; the same year in which she was awarded the Rookie of The Year award.

Website: http://simonadesilvestro.com/

Twitter: @simdesilvestro

RSN's Sporting Women with Karen Paxman Melbourne Football Club

Last week saw Karen announced as a priority pick for the Melbourne Football Club, we speak to her about this great news and her other role at the club, she talks about the draft and what it meant to pull on the Melbourne Jumper for the first time after having being part of the Western Bulldogs, and more.