Winning Post-1500m: Expected to race evenly. The coverage is good with the rail back in the true position, with some give in the ground following 8ml of rain earlier in the previous week. Rated a Soft 6 at the time of walking and expected to improve with favourable conditions forecast.
1500-800m (back straight): Presents with a solid coverage of grass and expected to race evenly. Expected to race well and consistent in its rating of a ‘6’ .
1400m-800m (chute): Very good grass coverage during this section as expected and will race evenly. Horses will not be disadvantaged racing slightly away from the fence in this section of the track, as the rail is back in the true.
800m-400m: With the rail back in the true for the first time since 17th August, there is some fill present out wide and horses will have plenty of good ground to commence to peel away from the fence to make their runs on the circle. The ground from the rail out to 8 metres will be preferred as horses commence their runs, giving most field plenty of room to do so. The rating remains consistent at a ‘6’ at the time of walking on Thursday afternoon, with expected improvement to a '5' on Friday.
400m-Winning Post: With the rail back in, it will be no surprise to see most of the inside half of the track used in the straight, most likely for most of the program. There is some fill evident on the outside half of the track, with the rail out last week, so unlike last week, there is a comparable difference in the straight, where 'swoopers', may not be as evident late in the day. Otherwise, the straight presents well for this time of the year and the rail back in gives fresh ground, which will be utilised in the straight for most races. There is an excellent coverage of grass evenly across the track on this pad and will improve into the ‘Soft 5’ range towards a Good 4 rating, with continued fine weather on Friday and race day.
Verdict: The track presents again in very good condition for early Spring and will race consistently on the inside 8 metres, with a probably upgrade to a ‘Soft 5’ on Friday, or even to Good 4 at some time on Saturday morning, or during the day.
With the rail back in the true position, the inside 8 metres will be the best ground. It may be difficult for backmarkers to make ground, particularly out wider than this point early in the day. Horses positioned close to the rail and able to race prominently may be slightly favoured throughout the day with any pattern to be established in the first half of the card. It would not surprise to see most winners coming from the inside to the middle of the track, racing up on the speed, or in the first half of the field.
O T I Racing (Mgrs: T Henderson & S Driscoll), M Cumani, S Taylor, R Cox, S Hay, D Kerr, R McDonald, J Callaway, R Menchise, J & Mrs J Spence, N Davidson, Beartown No.1, Beartown No.2, Circus, The King No.3 Syndicate, Forest View & DMB Racing
