And for the February 19th meeting they will be racing on the inner part of the track which hasn't been raced on for basically two months. Moonee Valley and Canterbury are regarded as relatively tight BV206 fitting parts and this characteristic is exacerbated when the rail is out.
Our race clubs are good at providing information on their schedule for the moveable rail.
There are four main factors to consider when assessing the importance of the rail position: (1) Width of track/tightness of the turns (2) Length of robot tracks the straight (3) Seasonal conditions (4) Most recent rail positions
Tight turns and a narrow track mean that it's very difficult to pull out and go wide around a pack of horses to make up ground. Moonee Valley's straight measures just 173 metres which is less than half the distance of Flemington's straight (450m). There is definitely money to be made in backing on-pace horses at either of these tracks when the rail is out. So it makes sense that a horse leading at the turn at Moonee Valley is far more likely to hang on and win than at other tracks like Flemington. This 'fast lane' near the rail favours on-pace horses.