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.
White With Desert Flower, Black Sleeves, White Stars, Tangerine Cap
Owners
R R Jolly, D A Hurrell, G Harvey, D A Houston, D C Lewis, Ms P Marino, Mrs H M Mules, Mrs J Lepley, Dr D A Worthley, Mrs S M Worthley, W O Reynolds, Bula Bula (Mgr: C M Fitzgerald) & Mrs J O'Connor
A Bell, P Wallis, D O'Connor, Miss M Boehm, C Major, A Taylor, N Dinning, Ms N Rantanen Reynolds, J Cleveland, M Gibson, W Butterfield, C Clarke,TJ & CA Cleland, P Cook, D P Hoffmann, M Crawford, J C Harris, Clay Hero Racing (Mgr: R W Lanyon), Whateverittakes (Mgr: C G Thomas) & Go Top Left
