Winning Post-1800m: Coverage is fair through this section with some worn areas around the 2000m start. Slightly more prevalent across the inside two lanes but not a lot else to report that’s of relevance. Felt like a Good 4.
1800m-1200m: Coverage is good here. Plenty of cushion underfoot despite it being in the Good 4 range. No lanes of significance and only very minor wear. This section is probably the best part of the track at present, should race very well.
1200m-800: The coverage is solid in this section and I couldn’t find a single lane that I would describe as superior or inferior so expect them to race in a normal fashion through here. The stick goes in with similar resistance across the inside ten lanes and felt in the '4' range.
800m-400m: Pretty uniform in this section as well. Approaching the 450m mark there’s a little more fill towards the fence. The last meeting here (18/09) the rail was in the True position and on Saturday it moves from the 3m position to back to True at the 400m mark. This may result in a few jockeys angling slightly off the rail but it's certainly not drastically worse. Coverage is fair but the cooler start to spring probably hasn't helped the grass yet, walks in the '4 ' range also.
400m-Winning Post: Slightly more wear closer to the fence and as a result there's a little more fill across the inside two lanes. Coverage is fair, probably still a month away from being somewhere nears its peak. Like the rest of the track it walks a ‘4’ but I think we might see horses using a fair bit of the track in this section.
Verdict: Overall the coverage is fair but the cool weather has meant the grass is yet to really kick. I still think it will race in the '4' range, assuming some irrigation is applied between now and race morning. The last meeting here was with a True rail and the track raced very well, the rail moves out to the 3m position from the 1200-400 and then back to True on the bend. This might mean the inside section from the 400m is slightly slower with the additional wear and sand fill. With a 'fanning' pattern predicted I think backmarkers and horses with potentially sticky maps will all get their chance to win.
Track walked at 2pm local time, Thursday 7 September 2021.
