Winning post-1600 metres: The rail goes out for most of the track for this meeting, now going to the ten metre position around the home turn and down the straight. After the winning post it blends back to the three metre position for the entire turn out of the straight and then stays in the true position along the back straight. The track is currently rated a Soft 5, with the club receiving 16mm of rainfall in the last seven days.
The track presents well and walks consistently, with minimal wear as the rail covers most of the damage. At the time of walking on Thursday, with showery and cool conditions, it walked in the ‘Soft 5’ range in this area, with good grass cover.
1600m-1200m: As expected on this least used section, there is good coverage all the way around to the 1200 metres and the track walks consistently in the Soft 5 range, with no signs of damage from the previous meeting. There will be no disadvantage to be away from the fence, in the two and three wide line, particularly with cover, as this part of the track should play fairly.
1200m-800m: This part of the track also presents well and the kikuyu that has flourished in summer now starts to go dormant in the cooler weather. There is minimal signs of any damage and walks consistently in the Soft 5 range.
800m-400m: As horses commence their runs away from the fence, there may be some evidence of kick back closer to the rail and one or two off the fence, as the day goes on, particularly if showers persist. The ground walks fairly with no evidence of wear on the fence and is rated in the Soft 5 range. Horses on the fence will not be disadvantaged.
400m-Winning post: The track walks consistently in the Soft 5 range. The straight also presents very well for this time of year and a similar situation to the home turn in regards to turf health. There is very little marking across the straight from the last meeting and it is not expected that any distinct pattern should emerge on face value. The odd bit of fill is visible, though minimal and will have no effect on racing tomorrow. Overall with some favourable weather, this track should maintain its Soft 5 rating this Saturday.
Verdict: A genuine Soft track is expected for Saturday, with the track in good shape for this time of the year. The track should play evenly, although will cut up slightly as the day goes on.
Stewards will further assess the track for a confirmation of the rating on Friday afternoon.
J L Jordan, C Booth, C Fowler, D S Green, D Eriksen, J P Anderson, J Cawthorne, J A Smith, M J Allen, M F Cocciolone, P C Tanner, S N R Edwardes & S Collins
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