ATC Thank You Trainers (Bm88)

With the rail out +11m from the 1000m to the winning post, the track will be tighter around the home turn. This often advantages horses on or near the speed who can rail like a go-kart and kick for home. It can make the task more difficult for backmarkers who need to sweep around the field, as they will be forced to cover additional ground on the circle. An inside draw becomes more valuable, granting the most economical run into the straight.

The Soft (6) rating ensures the ground will be testing. This will drain the stamina of horses who are forced to work hard early in the high-pressure environment. The combination of a strong pace and soft track significantly favours horses with proven wet-track credentials and strong finishing ability. The leaders will be vulnerable late. As the day progresses, the inside section could chop out, potentially favouring horses making their runs in the 4-5 wide lanes in the straight.

The 1100m start at Randwick provides a reasonable run from the chute, which gives horses drawn wide some chance to cross. However, the predicted strong tempo will make this a difficult task without expending significant energy. The key feature is the Randwick rise in the home straight. On a Soft 6 track and following a high-pressure 1100m, this rise will be a formidable obstacle for the leaders and will ensure that only the strongest horses with proven stamina will be finishing the race off effectively.

This is a Benchmark 88 Handicap, a strong class of race where tempo is usually reliable. The key factor is the weight scale. #1 Storm The Ramparts is burdened with 61.5kg. Carrying this weight against lighter-weighted rivals in a fast-run race on soft ground is a monumental task and will severely test his class and tenacity in the final 200m. Lighter-weighted runners like #13 Tarpaulin (52.5kg) receive a significant advantage under these conditions.