Winning Post-1800m: Not much to report here, very even right across. Coverage is solid, walked a '4' with genuine give in it. Just after the crossing I thought lanes 1 and 2 were a little softer.
1800m-1200m: I thought lanes 1 and 2 were a little bit harder to push through here. It's not a section where the jockeys will be too creative but it wouldn't surprise me if horses with a three-wide trail through here maintained fresher legs for later in the race. Walks just in the '5' range close to the fence, coverage is still solid.
1200m-800m: Pretty even in this section, only very light wear. I don't think there will be too much to read into here but with a touch more rain I wouldn't be surprised if the inside becomes slightly slower ground. Walked on the cusp of a '5' rating but with more rain it will certainly sit in that range.
800m-400m: Much the same as the previous section. Hardly any wear to speak of but won't surprise me if they edge off the rail with a bit of racing. It's pretty even at time of walking but I get the feeling that it might chop out a little quicker than the wider lanes.
400m-Winning Post: Very even, only minor marking but perhaps slightly more discernible in lanes 3 and 4. I think they'll use a bit of the track but there won't be a heap of difference between the lanes. They often drift off the fence a touch here so that might be the pattern again. It walked on the softer side of a '4' but with rain it could slip into the '5' range very easily. Coverage is strong.
Verdict: Only very minimal wear to speak of and the coverage is largely very good right around the circuit. I thought it walked on the cusp of a '5' rating but certainly not a genuine soft track. There are light showers forecast over the next 24 hours so it won't surprise me to see the track in the '5' range for racing. I got the feeling that hard on the fence would ultimately be slower ground, though it was more evident in the sections before the home straight. I wouldn't be surprised if they started to edge off the rail from the 700m mark after a few races. I wouldn't be penalising horses drawn wide in any of the races but think the track will race very fairly.
Mrs I P Kavanagh, T B Paine, S J Chambers, P A Hodby, P J Hill, N R Oakes, J P Keen, A O'shea, A Cook, J M Baker, Dr B J Wong, T C Whitham, M K Ricketts, T Ricketts & M Clemow
Contract Racing Pty Ltd (Mgr: Mrs J S Moodie), N S Psaltis, Mrs G C Psaltis, Fern Vale Farm (Mgr: A J Hardwick) & Ellerton Zahra Racing Pty Ltd (Mgr: S Zahra)
L M Macdonald, B Caruso, G A Hunter, J S Atkinson, S J Martens, D Smith, D J Wilkey, Dr R J Linke, R J Danzic, D I Bingley, C R Cowan, A J Flanegan & I M Collins
S P Hedge, M P Barker, G J Yeomans, L S Yeomans, P M Yeomans, P J Nicol, R I Chapman, B T Corcoran, A J Kemm, N M Hutchens, A K Stewart, R Watson, S J O'Rourke, M J Symons, E S Guagliardo, T J Stewart & N J Yeomans
P J Ninnis, G L Ashforth, F J Dally, J K Robinson, J A Wilson, G W Guest, C A Reynolds, A Stamoulis, F Stamoulis, R M Warnock, K G Dolling, D R Ward, M English, Ms J Heaney, Mrs P C Southern-Ninnis, Mrs L A Warnock, Garner (M D Sheehan) & Amorini Racing
Navy Blue, Pale Yellow Spots, Halved Sleeves, Quartered Cap
Owners
A Kheir, J A O'Neill, Yes Bloodstock, V Kheir, Carty Racing, China Horse Club Racing Pty Ltd, Newgate SF, Newgate Bloodstock, Horse Ventures, Merricks Station, Group 1 Bloodstock, Flamingo Racing, G R Dawson, J Docherty, D Rogers, Mrs M L Kennewell & Mrs M Fitzsimons
