Winning post-1800 metres: Racing returns to the main track tomorrow, with the rail out 13 metres from the 1200 metres to the winning post and 9 metres for the remainder of the circumference. With 14.5 mls of rainfall for the week and no irrigation, the track presented at noon Thursday as a genuinely good surface. The track has held up reasonably well after Winter, with a good grass cover still present for this time of the year .With the rail out to these positions, we are practically on a new pad of ground all the way around. A recent strike of winter rye grass sees the track looking in a transitional phase for early Spring.
1800m-1200m: There is still good grass coverage all the way around to the 1200 metres and the track walks with little evidence of wear with the rail out slightly. There is no evidence of fill here and there will be no disadvantage to be away from the fence in this position, even to the three wide line, particularly with cover. Walks in the Good 4 range and is consistent throughout.
1200m-800m: This part of the track also presents well and walked in the Good 4 range on Thursday. With the rail out , there is a fresh pad and this should not disadvantage runners close to the fence or in the one off line. There is no evidence of any wear and tear close to the fence and walks consistently along the Park Terrace side in the back straight.
800m-400m: There is consistency from the fence out to the three wide line, with no evidence of wear. Again, with the rail so far, it gives a good pad evenly out to the four and five wide line at this point.
400m-Winning : The track walked consistently and was in the Good 4 on Thursday afternoon. The track has raced evenly over the course of this year, with horses winning on the pace and from back in the field in recent meetings. There is no reason to suggest it won’t play the same on Saturday, however the rail placement may come into play. The straight walks consistently from the fence out, with some signs of damage from the last meeting on the fence and one off in the straight. It is expected that some runners will be looking to make ground out wide, as jockeys will look to come to the middle of the track again. Most of the straight will again be used, as we have seen in recent months, although close to the fence to the middle of the track looks consistent. Wider out remains damaged from recent trials.
Verdict:
The track presents well for early Spring, given the sunny days prevailing earlier in the week. It walks consistently in the Good range, although has a good grass coverage for this time of the year. With continued good weather, some irrigation may even be applied on Friday to keep the Good 4 rating.
The first few races will give an indication of the state of the surface, and any pattern with the rail out. Look for horses fanning from the 600 metres towards the middle of the track, spreading out in the straight. This will also give the opportunity for horses to improve closer to the rails in the straight and it is expected to see horses coming to the middle of the track in the straight. With the rail out nine metres,winners could potentially come from everywhere, be it in the first few horses off the fence, or towards the middle of the track later in the day. It will be dependent on pace in many races, with good early speed likely to spread some fields out throughout the day.
Racing SA Stewards will provide an update on Friday afternoon.
Mrs M C Saxon, M L Healy, P W Triffett, Ms B Dane, Ms J Eltringham, P Kerian, O Hennessy, W J Roennfeldt, Dr S B Heinze, S A McCorkell, R T Wells, G L Summerhayes & Ms L Carey
