13/9/2002 edition

Flemington Racetrack "Farce"

Last Saturday, three of the nine races held at Flemington racetrack were run down the straight. We are now finally seeing the mainstream media describe racing down the Flemington straight as a "farce".

The penetrometer readings, used to assess track condition, were quite close between the inside and the outside. But penetrometer readings have proved very unreliable in the past for assessing the difference between inside and outside at Flemington.

The very first race of the day was a 3YO Fillies Open over 1100 metres. At the jump, 10 of the 12 fillies made a mad charge to the outside. Vegas Show was no slouch. She had only been beaten 1.5 lengths by boom filly Innovation Girl three weeks earlier.

But Vegas Show, drawn barrier one, had little choice but to race on the inside when Shell I Sing, drawn barrier two, raced on the inside. Vegas Show beat Shell I Sing by four lengths, but still finished eighth, 1.5 lengths behind the seventh horse and over six lengths from the winner, Edgeton.

The fifth race, one of the highlights of the day, was the $350,000 3YO Group 2 set weights Ascot Vale Stakes over 1200 metres. Matt Stewart, writing in Melbourne's Sunday Herald Sun said:

"Farce, with nine runners all desperate to find a thin passage close to the outside rail...

SACK BOOK: The Ascot Vale Stakes... and straight races in general."

Matt Stewart introduced his summary of the eighth race of the day, the $150,000 1200 metres Bobby Lewis Group 3 Handicap with "Another straight farce".

This edition of Punt to Win:
Flemington racetrack farce
Trifecta betting tips
Carnival racing favourites, value betting odds
Spring Carnival horses and betting tips
Handicapping tips - weight and class
Money talks - Randwick plunge horses
Money talks - Flemington, Doomben plunge horses
Future winners - unlucky horses
Punt to Win 6/9/2002
Punt to Win index

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