The Melbourne Racing Club say they are ‘’comfortable’’ with the performance of its track despite criticism of how it raced on Saturday.
Punters and participants were critical of the track where it was clear lanes 6-8 were dominant, with nine of the 10 winners coming through there from the last 200m. Feedback from participants matched the data.
It is the second major meeting in a row that Caulfield has suffered criticism of how the track has raced after performing well previously.
Betsy asked a number of questions to the MRC regarding the track, including whether there had been any changes to how the track is managed, whether they believe watering the Heath inside track is causing the bias, whether there was any inclination the track may race the way it did, whether there were any plans to change how the track is managed plus importantly, whether the cub was happy with the tracks performance.
In response, the clubs head of racecourses, Michael Suey, gave the track a tick of approval but conceded some challenges following the increased workload from carrying the Moonee Valley meetings.
Suey also said that overall, the track has improved in the long-term.
‘’Overall, we were comfortable with how the track performed, particularly given the increased workload Caulfield has carried in recent weeks,’’ Suey said.
‘’Over the past 9 months, most people have acknowledged that we have improved the performance of the Caulfield track, so that it is now regarded as one of the best in Victoria. It has performed well and consistently.’’
Suey did concede that the club might have made an error in how it watered the track.
”The track has had increased heavy use this summer, with extra meetings including yesterday’s meeting, which was a Moonee Valley meeting. The track has held up very well through the summer and autumn, but at the end of an intense program (6 meetings in 2 months) there is less margin for error when preparing a track,” he said.
”When seasonally transitioning from summer to autumn, it becomes a judgment call as to how much water to apply and, in hindsight, the track would have cut out less on the inside if no water had been applied, though the amount applied was only a relatively small amount.
”We will continue to manage the track to produce safe and competitive racing and expect that the track will be easier to manage as we get through this seasonal transitional period and the surface is not raced on as intensively.
”The track is expected to perform this Spring as it did when praised during last year’s Spring Carnival and, following a major renovation after the 2026 Caulfield Cup, will improve substantially further, with capacity to hold increased numbers of meetings and be easier to maintain at all times of year.”
The MRC has overhauled its track management in 2025 after identifying several issues, with Pinecliff’s Kenneth Neff still advising the club. The club told Betsy the previous improved performance at Caulfield is due to his work.
Champion jockey Damian Oliver gave his own appraisal during the meeting on Saturday, noting the advantages of staying away from the rail.
‘’I think the inside four to five meters is definitely retaining some more moisture,’’ he said on racing.com.
‘’ I’d want to be outside that inside four or five meters. We get out to nine meters where the rail was here last time, even that’s not too bad.
‘’There’s those there’s a little bit of wear because it is opened up a little bit, it’s actually drying out quicker so, I wouldn’t even worry if you get out wider, but I don’t really want to be going inside that four or five meters.
We said on the coverage a little while ago, I thought … if you got out too wide, you might be paying a penalty getting onto that ground.
‘’We had last meeting here, but I don’t think that’s the case because it’s opened up. It’s actually dried out a little bit quicker. So, definitely no go zone in that inside four or five meters and outside, that’s not a lot of difference, but you are going to see him coming out to the middle for sure.
‘’It’s exactly the same all the way around as what it is in the straight.’’
