Track Report
Winning post-1800 metres: The last day of the Carnival sees the Main track in use all day, with the rail out to 6 metres for the entire circumference, an additional 3 metres out from last week. The track has held up reasonably well after four straight weeks, intertwined with some races on the inside Parks circuit on two of those days. There is some slight bruising evident up the Bray St side of the track, with little damage to the three wide line. Rated in the Soft 5 range on Thursday afternoon with cloudy and cool conditions prevailing, although was close to a Good 4 throughout. Rain which has arrived on Friday morning however, will have this track well and truly in the Soft range heading into Saturday.
1800m-1200m: There is still good grass coverage all the way around to the 1200 metres and the track walks with some evidence of wear and tear from the inside three or four horses, following recent racing. There is evidence of fill here which will provide some kickback in the latter part of the day and would not surprise to see horses travel a horse off the fence in the back straight. There will be no disadvantage to be away from the fence in this position, even to the three and even four wide line, particularly with cover.
1200m-800m: This part of the track also presents with some fill from damage during the last race last Saturday and walked in the Soft 5 range yesterday, however with the rail out, the damage is limited to the fence and should not disadvantage runners close to the fence or in the one off line. There is evidence of some wear and tear close to the fence, but the rail shift gets away from most of this and will not be a disadvantage to runners in this section.
800m-400m: There is some wear and tear from the fence out to the three wide line, with consistent wear from the last meeting. Again, the rail shift to 6 metres gets away from most of the raced on section and leaders should not be disadvantaged early in the day. With increased moisture levels due to Friday’s showers, expect this section to cut up and runners to come away from the fence from the 800 metre mark as the day goes on. With this wear on the fence to three out, riders will be looking to get away from this section, as it will kick out late in the day.
400m-Winning Post: The track walked consistently and was just in the Soft 5 range on Thursday morning, heading towards a Good 4. The track has raced evenly over the carnival, with horses winning on the pace and from back in the field in recent meetings, as evidenced last Saturday. The straight walks consistently from the fence out, however there are signs of damage from the last few weeks. It is expected that runners will be looking to make ground out wide, as jockeys will look to come to the middle of the track again. Most of the straight will again be used, as we have seen in recent weeks, although close to the fence to the three wide line will be no disadvantage, as was shown last week. Expect to see most of the field straighten away from the rail in the last half of the card however, if wet weather continues. With this pattern, it could also provide the opportunity for a horse to improve closer to the fence as was predicted last week, as the rail is out an additional three metres. Again, it would not surprise to see a rider take the shortest way home at some stage.
Verdict: The track walks with some evidence of surface damage near the rail, consistent with what you would expect with four weeks racing, however overall presents very well for tomorrow’s carnival finale. The track has played fairly all carnival and tomorrow should be no different. Rain on Friday adds more intrigue to the program, however every horse should get its chance if it handles the ground. The first few races will give an indication of the state of the surface, which will chop out if showers come on race day. Look for horses fanning from the 600 metres towards the middle of the track, spreading out in the straight. This will also give the opportunity for horses to improve closer to the rails in the straight and it is expected to see most of the straight in use. With the rail out 6 metres, winners could potentially come from everywhere, be it in the first few horses off the fence, or towards the middle of the track later in the day, if rain comes on race day.
Speed Maps
Take a look at James Jordan's speed maps here.
Full fields and form
Click here to view full fields and form for Saturday's meeting.
