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.
P A Mauger, Dr H A Lewis, S Sloan, A D Taylor, Woodstock Racing (Mgr: A R Larwood), J P Higgins, D G Reynolds, J D Dollman, N I Dinning, G T Carnegie-Smith, R A Bosher, M C Brougham, A J Gurry, W J Gurry, M D Pickering, M Stewart, D Stewart, R Beens, Ms M C Higgins & Harewood (Mgr: D J Champion)
Cross-over Nose Band FIRST TIME, Tongue Tie FIRST TIME
Prize
$581,120
Racing colours
Black, Green Seams, Stars Sleeves, Seams Cap
Owners
Leneva Park Bloodstock (Mgr: M Sharkie), D A Hayes, Madica Syndicate (Mgr: T Porter), Mrs B Porter, Miss J Porter, Miss M Porter, C W Kwok, S P Hardwidge, P Vawdrey, W B Keighran & S & M Racing
B L Hannon, A J Devine, C J Downie, V Francesca, B M McGilvray, T Fletcher, P Neuberger, M J Smith, T J Thompson, Ms L M Woodroffe, 21St Century Racing Pty Ltd (Mgr: E Savaglia), The Grand (Mgr: P V Morley), Samui Racing (Mgr: P M Hogan) & The Quine Boys Inc (Mgr: C R T Quine)
Royal Blue, White Horseshoe, Black And White Checked Sleeves And Cap
Owners
Australian Bloodstock, R Murphy, M P Barker, K B Rust, K-B Racing, P J McLean, J W Rose, T Romano, W F Butler, Mrs G Vogel, S R Doyle, Ms A Kelton, C Pearson, T A Shorland, N P Ortmann, One For The Road, A J Smith, S A Bandick, Pentagon Racing & Ironclad
Gold, Black Seams, Black And White Checked Cap, Gold Pom Pom
Owners
R B R (Mgr: R W Balfour), C C T, C E Ryman, R B Satchell, Mrs L F Satchell, T E Satchell, J F P Schmidt, P J Harrison, J W Fullerton, P W Greenbank, M A Greenbank, Ms D A Lehmann, K J Rejack, B Creeney, M J Kelly, Mrs C Creeney & Green Machine Racing (Mgr: C H Waterman)
Royal Blue And Lime Green Diagonal Stripes, Lime Green Cap
Owners
J R Adam, A R Muller, Ridgeport (Mgr: E S Guagliardo), Ms M A Crowhurst, Mrs S L A Bandick, Extential Racing (Mgr: T W Mok), A K Stewart, P J Marron, P J McLean, Mrs P M Hunt, K G Setford, Ms I Russell, C W J Muirhead, V G Corry, K Knight & Stevenson Family (Mgr: G J Stevenson)
