Daze's late dash secures prize as rower Harris dragged back by tide

WELL, after joking about it all race, the thinkable has happened. Analyst Alex Harris, who led from day one, has been pipped at the post after a disastrous final stretch in which he lost $4000, even with the assistance of a light tail breeze. Six of his stocks went backwards, with Perilya and PMI Gold the worst offenders, both slumping around 10 per cent. And it was the previously fourth-placed Doreen Daze who has managed the unlikeliest of victories, top-scoring in her final innings off the back of strong performances from TZ and Atlas Iron.

Pottsy did enough to secure himself a top-three finish, founded on a deft pick of Arrium, which finished the race worth 50 per cent more than at the beginning. Chartist Richard Pritchard also picked Arrium, but it wasn't enough to secure him a top-half finish.

Heartbreak also for engineer Elly Chapman, who dropped money in the final week to finish fourth. But Elly can be proud of having beaten the market by a full 5 percentage points, a score that any other race would have had her in top spot. Her best was a doughty bet on Fortescue.

Public-affairs man Aleks Krajcer holds on to a creditable fifth spot, also easily beating the market. He picked two standout performers - Mirabela Nickel and Mincor Resources - but was let down by a handful of others, one of which, Clean Seas Tuna, also put a big dent in reader Matthew Press's portfolio. Next week, a fine new crop of eager racers!