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MELBOURNE - Horses will be racing on "new ground" at today's nine-race Emirates Stakes meeting at Flemington.
The moveable rail will be out nine metres from the 1500m mark to the winning post, and six metres for the remainder of the circuit.
On Thursday the rail was posted six metres out for the circumference of the track for Oaks day.
Track manager Terry Watson said yesterday he wanted to present the best surface possible on the last day of the Melbourne Cup carnival.
The UCI Stakes and the Rock Star Supernova Handicap have had distances amended from 1400m to 1410m, the Emirates Stakes will now be run over 1610m instead of 1600m and the Queen Elizabeth Stakes is 20 metres longer at 2520m.
The track rating yesterday was a dead 4 after 6mm of water was added following the Oaks programme, with another 5mm to go on last night.
The overall penetrometer was 4.63, with the inside 4.66 and outside 4.62.
After the Emirates Stakes meeting today Flemington will be closed until September next year while the track undergoes a complete reconstruction.
- AAP
