Still built from the ground up
Glasser said the track would be rated a Good 4 today and would most likely be upgraded throughout the afternoon. He’ll give the track a light drink tonight in readiness for tomorrow’s feature but expects the track to be fast and favour horses that race on the pace.
“We don’t have the option to move the rail out like they do at other places,” he said.
“At the Sunshine Coast they can shift the rail out more than our track is wide. But I think the track should give every horse a chance (today) and then favour those up on the pace and near the fence (tomorrow).”
Glasser said gradual watering was the key to keeping some moisture in the surface.
“I’ve applied about 36mm in the last seven days and that is what you have to do in the lead-up to an event like this,” he said. “If you throw an inch of water (25mm) on the track on the day before you’ll just get a slippery surface that will chip out at the top, but still be rock hard underneath.
“The key is to have some moisture below the surface.”
The track itself hasn’t had any rainfall on it since August 15, when just 4.4mm was recorded, and the last decent drop at the course was way back on July 2 (43mm).
“There’s a big difference between rain and irrigation,” Glasser said. “Rain falls evenly and has nutrients in the water which boost growth. Irrigation can be impacted by the wind and other factors.”