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Message: Not a thing wrong with the track. As you say the best horses won. Therefore perhaps all races in Australia should be transferred to Royal Randwick, suits me. Long live this carnival, can we have it again. Damn I will just watch the video.
Author: Bell Flight Timestamp:- 18/4/2004 1:07:49 AM Subject: Re: randwick - beach WITH GRASS
Message: Nothing wrong with the track he says! When the widest runner in a 1400m Group 1 race is running home on the gravel on the outside of the track like Defier was, then something aint right!
Author: Insomniac Timestamp:- 18/4/2004 11:44:38 AM Subject: Re: randwick - beach WITH GRASS
Message: Lonhro may not have handled the track but I thought that became insignificant given the way he was ridden. I thought the track raced OK. As long as you can lead or come from last I doesn't mind how far the horses get of the rails. Don't worry about the rails people it means jack! I have seen many tracks over carnivals race 'unfairly' but Randwick didn't. I think the track was definitely acceptable.
Message: mcgarret - can you imagine what racing at randwick would have been like if there had been even 10mm of rain.
With regards to the fast times, to me there is something highly suss. Either the distances were out or the timing mechanism was faulty. Actually there is a track in NZ where world class times over 1200m are common???
The time for the 4 horse Champagne Stakes was a course record and the horses were 4 horses off the rail around the home turn so effectively they should have run the race .5 sec (3 lengths) or so faster had they railed up on a good track. Dance Hero is very good but I seriously doubt that time.
The fast times were repeated in With My's & Private Steer's race. These times are just not possible on a shifty surface especially when all the extra ground that is covered by travelling wide around the turn is taken into account.
You are right about Flemington but the Randwick surface is the biggest disgrace I have ever seen since racing has been televised.
I don't know what is wrong with the track. There may be too much sand content that decreases further out from the rail. Or perhaps the surface just becomes unstable with racing because of the sand content.
It will be interesting to see if the multiple dominant performances of horses such as Wild Iris, Besame Mucho and even Private Steer & Grand Armee are replicated at other tracks. Each of them certainly showed huge leaps in performances once they hit Randwick. There were several other performances over the Randwick carnival that represented considerable improvements over previous runs. Maybe the trainers are that good and the horses are tuned for the day. Let's hope so because several exciting prospects have emerged from the four day carnival.
Author: Bell Flight Timestamp:- 18/4/2004 2:32:31 PM Subject: Re: randwick - beach WITH GRASS
Message: So Insomniac, you're saying if he had been ridden closer and still got beaten (likely), then you would have blamed the track instead? Sad groupie!
Message: speedy, slip of the keyboard, I meant race record.
I hope that your right re the "whole 1 length per horse width wide is faulty" as grand armee came 6 or 7 wide & lonhro came 10 wide so that would have them running their last 600 in 32.5 or less - the track must have been lightning fast.
Author: Pinkline Jones Timestamp:- 18/4/2004 2:55:40 PM Subject: Re: randwick - beach WITH GRASS
Message: Totally agree Todman,
That track should not have been operating - the whole Easter carnival should have been split between Warwick Farm and Rosehill. Disgraceful disgraceful disgraceful.
I had my usual "War and Peace" ready to go but lost it somehow before sending - I'm spewing.
So...point form it is (Yay they say!).
AGREE - the track is less than perfect. The AJC has not denied it and are "working on it".
AGREE - if it had rained it would have been an absolute disaster. They got lucky. Maybe they "made their own luck" this year (up until the QE!).
JURY OUT - the times were also unbelivable on Slipper Day (STC last day - coincidentally)after the track was an equally poor debacle on the previous two Saturdays. The STC had ABSOLUTELY NO rain over their carnival - yet the jocks got off the fence early on day One and Two at Rosehill. Again - check the videos.
DISAGREE - horses improving dramatically - The Ryder was the highest rating race all racing season. Private Steer and Grand Armee could not improve on that. Didn't have to.
VERDICT - The track was ordinary - but importantly NOT BIASED. It was badly biased on Derby Day last year.
At least this year all horse had their chance on all days. On every day winners led all the way or came from last (or close to it).
I personally prefer betting on badly biased tracks. All punters should if they have got any idea.
Would you bet "black" on a roulette wheel if all the reds were "out of play".
Nonetheless - thats not the point.
Punters need confidence in the product.
Jockeys scouting wide doesn't look good.
But my ride of the Carnival goes to C. Brown on On A High on Monday.
He "bucked the trend" and scooted the horse through on the rail from the 800 to the 300 and saved lengths.
Then he nursed the horse home to win.
I didn't tip it or back it.
I just think he is a jockey who watches, thinks and learns.
Author: Speedy Gonzalez Timestamp:- 19/4/2004 1:46:49 AM Subject: Re: randwick - beach WITH GRASS
Message: yes that's right todman. divide by 2 and u will be closer to the mark. if the pace has been soft it's better to be travelling 4 wide with momentum that being held up for 200m but if the pace has been fast being held up can help save energy for a final sprint.
the track was faster than normal and on an adjusted basis dance hero's time is > 95 secs which makes more sense for a 2yo.
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