Winning Post-1800m: the spot where the runners pull up is probably the softest section of the track and sits in the '5' range but none of the races will run through this section.
1800m-1200m: very even with a solid pad of grass under foot. Walked a Good 3 but with plenty of cushion. Slight wear close to the fence as you exit the back straight but won't have any effect.
1200m-800m: slightly more wear out wide from recent jump outs but not convinved too many will be sitting that wide except for the first 150m of the sprint races. Also some minor fill in lanes 1 and 2 but nothing drastic.
800m-400m: much the same as the previous section with slightly more fill towards the fence. Approaching the 600m mark I felt the stick went into the ground with less force so had a little bit more moisture in it. Relatively even across apart from the minor wear on inside lanes.
400m-800m: more fill towards the fence and I thought it would result in lanes 3 and beyond being superior ground in the straight. If they happened to pour a stack of water on the track (or water morning of) then perhaps the inside section could dry out faster given the coverage isn't as thick. I'd be banking on the first scenario being the likely outcome though.
Verdict: The rail goes out to the 11m position from the 1200m to the winning post, having been in the 8m and 4m positions at the last two meetings. I've noted that it was an advantage to be on speed at the last two meetings so that may well be the case again on Sunday. Having walked it I think there's a very good chance that the majority of winners might be in lanes 3 and beyond which leads you to think the swoopers will get their chance. Perhaps the combination of the inside being slightly slower, but the rail being out so far might mean the pattern is to sit handy and then drift a few horses off the fence in the straight. The early forecast for the wind might also lend itself to being handy in the run.
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