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.
Royal Blue And Lime Green Halves, Lime Green Pom Pom
Owners
W B Kluske, G B Kluske, M B Christian, B G Christian, R H Tucker, Mrs A D Kluske, B G Kluske, Mrs V H Maddern, D G Maddern, C R Sundberg, K Richardson & Mrs S R Richardson
Cross-over Nose Band FIRST TIME, Tongue Tie OFF FIRST TIME
Prize
$134,000
Racing colours
Navy Blue, White Seams, White And Navy Blue Seams Cap
Owners
W J W Thompson, D L Summerton, J A David, N J Kerr, M C Sexton, C G Sexton, B Sutcliffe, B M Romer, B Franklin, J Hughes, P Hughes, A Hughes, A T Dennis, Miss T Mcintosh, Balmoral Lodge, Back That Racing, Pajama Racing, Diamond Dobbers, Zee Dee Tay & Miss K Harrison
Mrs S M Cozamanis, G L O'Sullivan, M T Phelan, Mrs B M Phelan, B Wilson, G R Windsor, A J Searl, G N Peters, R G N Peters, Miss C C Peters & Mrs T S Hyam
W B Kluske, B G Kluske, G B Kluske, Mrs A D Kluske, Mrs V H Maddern, C R Sundberg, D G Maddern, A F Wright, Ms B Harnett, Mrs J M Norris, W R Norris, Ms S Butler, K Richardson & G Wingard
