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.
Red, Black Club, White Sleeves, Red And White Quartered Cap
Owners
M J Doyle, Mrs B J Doyle, A K Stewart, Southern States (Mgr: B Pike), P D Buttery, Dr D A Worthley, No Regrets Racing FTR Syndicate (Mgr: G B Same), The Trade Federation (Mgr: J Kelton), P J McLean, A J Cichello & D O'Driscoll
Nose Roll OFF AGAIN, Pads (Front) OFF FIRST TIME, Tongue Tie OFF FIRST TIME
Prize
$109,884
Racing colours
Royal Blue, Gold Stripes And Hooped Sleeves, Quartered Cap
Owners
Mrs B Knight, Clanbrooke Racing No 4, A Burgess, Clanbrooke Racing No 3, Ms K Lewis, Mrs G Donnelley, D Troy, G Schultz, Top Hat Racing (Mgr: J Maher), R Sloane, P Heinz, C Kerr, P Hogan, S Mitchell, Boom (Mgr: Mrs P Schloss), R Franklin, R Drew, P Nicholson & M Clark
Ms T Hartwell, Dr J Sinclair, F De Pasquale, N Stratfold, A Grantham, F Studd, B Pickard, M Simmonds, G Brown, Ms S Simmonds, C Bubner, Mrs K Bubner, L Bailey, P De Pasquale, Mrs L Stratfold, Cape Canaveral Syndicate, Who's Next (A Hryhorec), Hawkin Racing (T Busbridge) & Choclatte (C Hryhorec)
Cross-over Nose Band FIRST TIME, Ear Muffs (Pre-Race Only) FIRST TIME, Gelded
Prize
$11,411
Racing colours
Brown, White Crossed Sashes, Striped Sleeves And Cap
Owners
W T Clarken, M P Barker, R A Pegum, B Pike, M E Pittman, J M Richards, S L Roberts, The Dog Pack (J Aufderheide), Backwards Treadmill (C Bevan), R Sweeney, D P Renehan, A K Stewart, T A Shorland, P J McLean, K-B Racing (B Bannister), H P Nairn, A Mintz, T Needham, P Davis & 4plus4 (D Jenkin)
Black, Red And White Horse Head And Flames, Red Flames On Sleeves, Red Cap
Owners
J Manning, On Fire Racing (Mgr: N L Kersten), Wylie Dalziel Roy Higgins Racing, S R Aylett, P L H Hall, Mrs C A Hall, A C Maher, K P Wilson, S D Thomason, M G Turner, I C Wachtel, B W Edwards, Mrs H Kersten, R Kersten, Ms H S Kersten, Big Head, S McGill, Ms K Eishold & G Benaim
