Every Melbourne Cup runner will get its chance today after the Flemington track was upgraded to a Good 3 following the running of the fourth race, the $100,000 Lavazza Short Black (1400m).
Japanese stayer Admire Rakti has won 6 races on a good surface. Photo by Race Horse Photos Australia.
Flemington track manager Mick Goodie had rated the track a dead 4 this morning following 6mm of irrigation over the last twenty-four hours and a total of 18mm since Saturday but the warm day and northerly winds has forced an early upgrade.
The track raced as a Good 3 for Derby Day last Saturday but Goodie decided to moisten the surface so it would produce a top quality racing surface for the Group 1 $6m Emirates Melbourne Cup (3200m).
The rail remains in the true position after racing in the same spot on Derby Day.
“It’s in good order, it’s a dead 4 this morning,” Goodie told Racing.com before the first race today.
“There is a little bit more moisture in it today because it has a long day, it has to perform at its optimum level for seven hours.”
“To start a dead 4 it will be a good 3 for most of the day.”
“18mm, 6mm overnight and that is to get the moisture in it early so it doesn’t get too firm late in the day.”
“Leaving the rail in the true says that there was no damage and the only that will affect the pattern (of racing) is the wind.”
Most of the twenty-two runners in the Melbourne Cup will be comfortable on the Good 3 racing surface with the favourite and topweight Admire Rakti having won six of his seven victories on a similar surface.
Second favourite Lucia Valentina has also recorded a win on a Good surface but would have appreciated some rain with two of her five wins being on heavy tracks.
Cox Plate runner-up Fawkner is another who can handle any surface with four wins on a good track for the Reset seven year old old.
Latest Melbourne Cup market order: $6 Admire Rakti, $7 Lucia Valentina, $7.50 Fawkner, $8 Protectionist, $8.50 Signoff, Mutual Regard, $21 Red Cadeaux, Who Shot Thebarman, $26 Junoob, Willing Foe, Araldo, $34 My Ambivalent, $61 Opinion, $71 Gatewood, Lidari $81 Brambles, Au Revoir, Royal Diamond, Precedence, $101 Seismos, Unchain My Heart $201 Mr O’Ceirin.
