Leung Ho Yin, Simon's Bio
Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in overseas international racing. Bringing with him a wealth of racing knowledge, Simon is the host and race caller for the overseas simulcast programme since 2008/09 season. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including, ‘Banker’, ‘Racing Horizon’ and ‘Horse Racing – Results’.

Flemington Racecourse – Track Analysis (Melbourne Cup Day):

With no particular undulations, yet an extended stretch run that accommodates maximum fields of 24, the Flemington Racecourse - the most extensive in Melbourne - covers 1.27 square miles in acreage and 2312m in circumference. Runners still find the wide, sweeping turns manageable to concede precious ground with a gutsy wide move while homeward-bound, whereas an exhausting 450m stretch run asks every single front-runner of a gargantuan effort, even on a typical race day, to make every stride a winning one. In general, this track does slightly favour stalkers.

For the featured Melbourne Cup, a sapping 3200m marathon that starts mid-way through the famed ‘Straight Six’, runners breaking from out wide still have all the time to look for a sweet spot and save ground before passing the judge for the first time; rather, in such a full field, inside-drawn runners, when their competition drops to the rail, would get boxed in for much of the trip with nowhere to go, particularly when it is time to kick into high gears. In the 2017 running of this ‘Race that Stops a Nation’, when the turf was listed as “Good to Firm”, an exclusive European tierce of REKINDLING, JOHANNES VERMEER and MAX DYNAMITE, as it turned out, were all stalking just off the pace while saving ground through the early markers, before their advancing from out wide down the lane.

Pertaining to the rest of the undercard, a left-hander presents itself promptly after the break for both the Desirable Stakes and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Stakes at 1400m; however, such a wide, sweeping turn is still generous somehow on the outside-drawn runners. The same clause stands as well – and perhaps even more legit – in the 1800m Melbourne Cup Day Plate, as there is a full 400m straightaway for the runners to get to the rail before hitting the first turn. Meanwhile, in the 1200m MSS Security Sprint, runners drawing low numbers, surprising as it is, would be slightly disadvantaged.

Reviewing the recent meeting at Flemington on 6th October, when the turf was listed as good, track bias was observed at its minimum, and good performances were split equally between the ground-saving front-runners and closers from out wide. That being said, with intermittent rain that will linger through next Tuesday, this year’s Melbourne Cup Day would be contested on sticky ground, and should that be the case, track conditions would deteriorate particularly on the inside parts of this strip.

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