Winning Post-1500m: Not overly firm which should please most participants. I felt it was in the '4' range but had a good amount of give in it. The coverage mostly good with a bit of wear across the inside two lanes.
1500m-800m: Similar to the previous section. There is good give in the surface here as well. Horses will certainly get their toe into it if it's served up on raceday in the same condition it was at the time of walking. Marking is concentrated to lanes 1 and 2, beyond that is very clean ground. I thought there might be a disadvantage in racing close to the fence through this section though I'd imagine the vast majority of horses will be in those lanes.
800m-400m: The rail moves out to the 3m position in this section and it takes the horses off the area with the additional wear. I thought it walked very well, the coverage is strong and there's barely any marking to speak of. I'm expecting this part of the track to race really well and can't see an advantage in any of the lanes. I'll be keeping an eye on horses on the fence just to see if the previous section has taken anything out of their finish.
400m-Winning Post: Very minor wear here and walks just as well as the previous section. Coverage is strong and I couldn't pick a faster lane. Last meeting here saw the fence in running a significant advantage but I don't think we'll see that on Saturday. I'd imagine it will stay in the '4' range throughout the day.
Verdict: Coverage is very good right around the track and the mild weather, with some rain, has resulted in a forgiving surface for the horses. The factor that might determine the pattern is the wear in lanes 1 and 2 from the winning post to the 800m turn. It's not the 'business end' of the race but there's a chance horses sitting out a touch wider might have a little more left late in the race, but they'll be covering ground to be there. I'm expecting it to race well. I'll be monitoring the first few races but won't be afraid to back something drawn wide in the meantime. I'm tipping a '4' track throughout the card.
First Light Racing, Redbank North, Vionneto, FMLM Racing, SJV, P & D Harbinson, D Dowden, A Webster, N Edwards, R Free, S Canning, D Blackmore, A Mountier, W Oxford, Circus, Norman the Parlour Car, D O'Callaghan, A M Kerr & Mrs D R Smith
K Sexton, P Ditchburn, P Ninnis, Mrs P Southern-Ninnis, Mrs M Shephard, Mrs K Donald, Mrs J Gifford, G Conron, Ms M White, G Gifford, C Mahon, R Edwards, Miss C R Jolly, Ms S Yabsley, Ascot Park Bowls (M Lampshire), Bula Bula (C Fitzgerald), Hoof Hearted 2 (G Platt), BTPT Racing & Lockdown Racing
Black And White Checks, Royal Blue Sleeves, Black And White Checked Cap
Owners
T J Doudle, N J Carter, N P Bishara, B Nicholson, S Howarth, D D Gum, Ms M N Luijckx, P G Rawson, P R Buss, Park Royale Racing (Mgr: R Buss), S J Theodore, K J James, J Hurrell, Dr D Bungey, T D Lloyd & L R Mackenzie
