 Tim Carroll 's Bio | |
|---|---|
| Tim started off as a jockey in Australia before pursuing a media career. He is a highly experienced and respected racing presenter who has been based in England since 2005. Tim has travelled the world covering many of the major meetings, including Royal Ascot, The Epsom Derby, The International meeting from Sha Tin, The Dubai World Cup, The Everest, The Saudi Cup and The Breeders. He is currently a presenter for Sky Sports Racing, specialising in both the local and international scene. Tim is a regular contributor to the At The Races Website where his twice weekly tipping column on Hong Kong racing has gathered a strong following. | |
Deauville Racecourse – Track Analysis (Prix Rothschild Day)
Situated on the North Coast of France, Deauville – long hailed as French Racing’s mid-summer haven – while being one of four French tracks to host G1 races on the flat, is not short of action, comes every August, both on and off the track. Its auxiliary Yearling Sales, in particular, is traditionally a prime marketplace for major owners and breeders to replenish their racing stock – and certainly scout for the next superstar on turf. Deauville Racecourse is comprised of two turf tracks – round and a straight course – both of which are relatively flat with only minor undulations.
The round course is oval in shape with right-handed sweeping bends and a circumference of 2200m, along with a straight run in of approximately 420m. The straight mile course conducts races from 1000m to 1600m, and joins the round course at the top of the home straight. In addition, there is a polytrack on the inside of the turf course, 2000m in circumference.
The first G1 meeting of the Deauville August Festival is the Prix Rothschild Day with eight races programmed. Two will be run on the polytrack, three on the round course, and three up the straight.
The two races on the polytrack including the 1300m Class 2 Handicap and the Class 3 Handicap. Over this distance there is no barrier bias to report on the polytrack, although horses drawn barrier 4 to 8 have the best recent record over this trip. There is a relatively short run of just under 300m before reaching the first turn, therefore horses who prefer to go forward are better drawn low.
The three races on the round course are the 1400m G3 Prix Six Perfections, the 2000m G3 Prix de Psyche, and the 3000m Listed Prix du Carrousel. There is no barrier bias over 1400m, however, interestingly low draws are slightly favoured over both 2000m and 3000m. The round course is fair to all runners but keep in mind they tend to run middle distance and staying races in France at moderate tempos, which can make it difficult for those at the back to pick up the leaders in larger fields.
The three races on the straight course including the 1200m G3 Prix de Cabourg, the 2yo Handicap and the 1600m G1 Prix Rothschild. The straight course is relatively flat, but as the draw is from the grandstand side, with barrier 1 being closest to the grandstand side rail in most races, the field tends to come down the grandstand rail and the centre of the track, therefore middle to low draws are usually advantageous in larger fields. Fields of fourteen or more can see the field split into three divisions with the higher drawn runners frequently opting to go to the far side rail. In the last thirteen running’s of the Prix Rothschild only three renewals has seen more than ten participants, with the largest being twelve runners.
In last year’s Prix Rothschild, the ground was Good with the Francis-Henri Graffard trained WATCH ME a warm favourite in a field of six runners. Godolphin’s SUMMER ROMANCE took up the running, and went along at a solid tempo, with KNOW IT ALL in second spot and WATCH ME perfectly placed in behind the leader. SUMMER ROMANCE travelled strongly but found little for pressure and was the first to concede at the 400m mark. WATCH ME, who was also being ridden at the time, found plenty under strong encouragement on the grandstand rail and went on to record a narrow victory over HALF LIGHT and KNOW IT ALL, in a quick time that was 1.55 faster than standard.
The weather forecast for Deauville during the week is for mostly good weather with the possibility of light showers. However, it’s rare to see ground faster than Good in France, thus its unlikely to be overly quick and there could be Soft in the ground description if more rain than is expected arrives.
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