Ben Asgari

The course proper was rated a Soft 6 on Monday morning, with the steeplechase track rated a Heavy 9. Notably, there is 6-20mm of rain forecast for Monday. I’d expect the course proper is rated a Soft 7 or into the heavy range on race day, with the steeplechase track likely to be a Heavy 10. The rail starts in the true position for Day 1 of the Carnival and typically it’s an advantage to be on speed and near the rail for the first couple of flat races before they get wider as the day progresses.

The track was rated a Soft 5 on Saturday morning following 6mm of irrigation the previous 24 hours. I’d expect a Good 4 on race morning with a possible upgrade given the warm conditions forecast. If there is genuine give in the track, it won’t surprise to see jockeys angle away from the fence in the home straight. Co-trainers Anthony and Sam Freedman strike at 30% from 69 starters at Seymour, which improves to 64% when they saddle the favourite.

The Lindsay Park training team of Ben, JD and Will Hayes are striking at 22% from their past 100 starters at Sale. The Hayes brothers notably strike at 56% from the 32 times they’ve saddled a favourite at the Gippsland track. The Hayes brothers saddle a strong team of five runners at Sale on Sunday, including three early favourites: Join The Que (Race 5), Killiana (Race 6) and High Tempo (Race 8). Race 7 – 4.