 Brett Davis | |
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| Brett Davis was introduced to Australian Racing by his father back in the early 1980’s when his family became involved in formulating “Thoroughbred Racing Syndications”. Brett worked from 1995 as a Professional Form Analysts and Race Broadcaster with an array of companies throughout most parts of the Australia Racing industry. He currently resides in Adelaide, his hometown in Australia, where he is Chief Thoroughbred Race Caller and Form Analyst for Tabcorp / SkyChannel / RadioTAB. Brett Davis also spent 2 years with the Singapore Turf Club and 13 Racing Seasons with the Hong Kong Jockey Club between 2006 to 2019 as a leading Form Analyst / Race Caller and was the HKJC Chief Race Caller from 2014, calling the last 5 Hong Kong International (Turf World Championships) race meetings and over 50 G1 races. Brett has immense passion for Australian Racing both personally and professionally. With his diverse knowledge and long standing industry relations he’s a valuable asset to racing and it’s enthusiasts. | |
Flemington Racecourse – Track Analysis (Victoria Derby Day):
Flemington Racecourse is the headquarters for racing in the city of Melbourne and is located approximately six kilometres from the city’s CBD. As a racecourse, it’s renowned for its vast expanses and long home straight, by Australian racing standards, which in theory means that every horse gets their opportunity to win there. Racing anti-clockwise on turf, the main course at Flemington has a circumference of 2312m and a home straight of 450m in length. It also has a 1200m straight course, starting from the left grandstand, re-joins the course proper at the top of the home straight, on which all sprint races are run on.
Victoria Derby Day is the opening day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival, the biggest week of racing in Australia. The feature of the day is the Victoria Derby for the staying 3YOs over 2500m. In races over this distance, the field faces a short run to the first turn, therefore, barriers are important. In the last twenty years, single figured barrier draws have been successful on fourteen occasions. Once the field leaves the straight on the first occasion and gets to the Maribyrnong River side of the course at the 2000m mark, they then have a straight run until around the 1200m mark, where they begin the long but gradual turn that takes them into the home straight.
Last year’s Victoria Derby was run on a good track and was won by JOHNNY GET ANGRY, who settled midfield, in what was a stop-start race from a tempo point of view. HIT THE SHOT closed off strongly from the second half of the field to grab second, ahead of YOUNG WERTHER, who was positioned slightly forward of midfield in the run.
Two of the races from Flemington are over 1600m - the Empire Rose Stakes and Cantala Stakes. Recent history would suggest that inside barriers are a bonus in races like the Cantala Stakes, as fourteen of the last twenty-one winners have come from single figure draws. This is because the horses face a run of only a few hundred metres from the chute before they begin the gradual turn that takes them back towards home.
For the 2000m Wakeful Stakes, the starting gate is set at the top of the backstretch. There is a long straight of 600m before the first turn, runners will have plenty of time to find their favourable position. Barriers are of little importance.
The other three races – both the 1200m Coolmore Stud Stakes and Linlithgow Stakes and the 1100m Furphy Sprint (Begonia Belle Stakes), will be conducted on the straight course. At this meeting last year, the horses used the middle to outside section of the track, all three straight races were won by horses who made their runs closer to the outside rail, therefore, it could be worth paying closer attention to runners that are drawn higher figured barriers.
The rail will be in the true position for Victoria Derby Day and dry conditions are forecast leading into the meeting, consequently, it is anticipated that the races will be run on a good track.
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