Winning Post-1800m: They generally only race in two lanes in this section and both those lanes are unmarked. Some wear further out but doubt there will be any horses out that wide. Walked a '4' with good coverage.
1800m-1200m: Similar story in this section where the inside four lanes are all pretty uniform, with some wear further out beyond where they'll race. Coverage remains very thick and lush, enough give in it to be in the '4' range also.
1200m-800m: The previous couple of meetings have seen the rail in the 7m and 10m positions. The wear is evident in lane 5 and beyond, so if any horses are staying out wide from the chute they may hit some slower ground. I'd imagine 95% of horses will race in lanes 1-4 through this section though.
800m-400m: Much like the previous section, there is additional wear and sandfill in lanes 5,6 and 7. I thought the inside four lanes were cleaner so horses peeling out into those middle lanes may have to work a bit harder to make ground. Coverage remains good here.
400m-Winning Post: Slightly more marking in lanes 5,6 and 7 but given they race in a straight-line here it's not as prominent as around the bend. The inside four lanes are very even and the coverage is thick and strong. It walked a '4' and even in drying conditions I'd say the grass cover is good enough for it to remain in that range through the day.
Verdict: The rail goes back into the True for the first time since November 27. The two meetings so far this year have been in the 7m and 10m positions so the only noticeable wear from the 1200m mark is out in what would have been the inside lanes. I felt lanes 1-4 were uniform and in good condition and that's where the majority of horses will be. Those peeling wide might drift out even further that lanes 5,6 and 7 where there is some minor marking. The coverage is still excellent and it provides a lot of cushioning for the horses. I'm expecting it to remain in the Good 4 range for the duration of the card assuming they irrigate overnight.
Track walked at 1:30pm, Thursday 24 February 2022.
Gold, Black Seams, Black And White Checked Cap, Gold Pom Pom
Owners
R B R (Mgr: R W Balfour), P J Lewis, S P Fitton, Mrs K Corr, R M Corr, Miss E R Doel Henshall, Watermark Sports (Mgr: D I Macdonald), S Forbes, W D Wilkie, P J King, S W Jones, P R Byrne, Mrs C Byrne, W I Mayne, Clay Hero Racing (Mgr: R W Lanyon) & A G Forbes
