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Simon is a well respected full-time thoroughbred racing commentator specializing in pedigree and overseas international racing. He is currently the presenter on several racing television programmes including, ‘Horse Racing – Results’, ‘Simulcast Preview'’ and Simulcast oversea races.

Hanshin Racecourse – Track Analysis (Queen Elizabeth II Cup Day):

Due to on-going renovation at Kyoto Racecourse, this year’s Queen Elizabeth II Cup Day will instead visit the Hanshin Racecourse in northwest Osaka, a venue that features three strips: a turf oval enveloping a dirt track, and a steeplechase course from outside in, while on the turf oval, horses can also turn for home via the inner bend or outer bend, resulting in a shorter 350m stretch run, or a full 500m drive to the finish respectively.

For the featured Queen Elizabeth II Cup and the 3yo and up 2 wins, both over 2200m, fields will have a 500m stretch run before hitting the first turn, thus stall assignments rate only minimal. Rounding the 400m clubhouse turn, there's another full 400m straightaway on the backside before reaching the second turn. As the sweeping 600m inner bend is in play for both races, runners risking a wide move would hardly lose any balance.

For the rest of the day’s undercard, runners in the 3yo and up 1 win and the Kigiku Sho, both over 2000m on turf, will trace roughly the same trip as the main feature, and use the inner bend likewise; however, with only a 300m run-in to the clubhouse turn, outside-drawn runners do have to break alertly to avoid losing ground. Onto the dirt strip, the 1200m Doncaster Cup will take the only turn after travelling about 300m of the backside, outside-drawn runners will be parked wide if they fail to grab the rail in time. In contrast, starters for the 1400m Autumn Leaf Stakes have an extended 500m run on the backside, thus a bad stall does not hurt much. Then, in the 1800m 3yo and up 2 wins, runners will travel 300m of the homestretch before hitting the first turn, and again, a rider may be forced to squeeze extra speed out of his mount from an outside gate to drop towards the rail as soon as possible, or get hung out to dry.

Disregarding distance, all runners will race downhill while homeward-bound – until the 200m marker – where the turf tucks right back up all the way to the finish. Therefore, frontrunners will need more than a gargantuan trip to wire it home. That said, with short stretch drives just 350m from the top of the lane to the finish at the inner bend on turf, or on the dirt strip, late closers may run out of real property if they don't make their moves by midway through the stretch.

In the 2019 running of this G1 prize, when the turf was listed as firm at Kyoto, eventual winner LUCKY LILAC, stalking mid-field for the bulk of the trip, was let loose in the final stages with a rail-skimming drive, and clobbered both CROCOSMIA (second) and LOVES ONLY YOU (third) inside the final 50m to strike home.

With fair skies as of late in Osaka area, this year's Queen Elizabeth II Cup Day would be staged on good goings. Should the strip hold fast, forwardly-placed runners would still get the upper hand, especially on dirt; yet if track conditions go south, rail horses may simply toil all day long.

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