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, ‘Racing Horizon’ and ‘Horse Racing – Results’.

Randwick Racecourse – Track Analysis (Doncaster Mile Day):

As the biggest venue in the eastern part of Sydney, the Randwick Racecourse features a rectangularly configured 2227m outer course, 28m wide with the homestretch reaching 410m that grades slightly uphill towards the finish. This course is slightly undulating, and together with the customary fast fractions in Australian racing, Randwick, of its ample track width and subtly uphill stretch runs, generally favours closers – unless a significant track bias pops up on a particular day.

All group prizes will be contested over different distances in the Doncaster Mile Day. The featured 1600m Doncaster Mile field has a 600m stretch of turf to sort themselves out before the first turn – and with this being usually an over-subscribed field on a fast strip – horses breaking from out wide will be slightly disadvantaged. Meanwhile, both the T J Smith Stakes and the P J Bell Stakes over 1200m also features a 600m run-in before the first turn, and stall assignments likewise should not be matter much – unless, yet again, when full fields go to the post. Circumstances are roughly the same for the 1400m ATC Sires’ Produce Stakes, where runners would funnel into a steady yet sweeping bend, then cruise through a 400m straight before hitting a much tighter second turn. Then the 2000m Adrian Knox Stakes, the 2400m Australian Derby and the 2600m Chairman’s Quality – all of them deep routes – stall assignments bear further less significance.

In the 2019 running of the Doncaster Mile, when the track was listed as soft, the eventual tierce of BRUTAL, DREAMFORCE and HARTNELL were already in the thick of the first flight swiftly after the break; and DREAMFORCE almost succeeded in wiring the field all the way home, until BRUTAL clobbered him inside the final 50m for the score.

Reviewing the recent card at Randwick on 7th March, when the going was listed as soft, and the portable rail was up 3m out, runners that saved ground were enjoying a slight edge. With sunny skies the Sydney area is enjoying as of late that will regrettably give way to some unsettling weather – even an occasional thunderstorm – just a day or two before the weekend, soggy goings may still be on deck for this year’s Doncaster Mile Day, and should such inclement weather persists, deep closers pouncing home from the middle or outside parts of the track may dominate the competition.

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