Ten features in four days, one from every venue

Thirteen cards are published in the programme ahead and ten of them are features — one from every venue on the circuit, inside four days.

Today runs five. The Handicap Flat at Mallee Park over 1400 m at 2.18pm, where Old Telegraph holds 210 numbers. The Saltbush Dash at 3.24pm, twelve runners down the 1200 m straight course on a book of 125.8, with Stockyard Gate the top block on 259. The Kurrajong Mile at 7.42pm, the demo race, eight pacers over 1609 m mobile on a book of 114.6, the tightest of the day. The Class B Mobile Pace twenty-four minutes after it, where Harbour Flyer holds 352 numbers, 35.2 per cent, the largest single block anywhere in the programme. Then the Brolga Dash at 9.17pm over 520 m.

Tomorrow has three, one each at Tin Creek, Gidgee Paceway and Coorong Park. The Tin Creek Classic at 4.02pm, 1600 m on the synthetic, Sunday Pages on 327. The Gidgee Pace at 8.28pm, 1660 m round the tight 805 m clay half-mile, Harbour Flyer again on 338. The Coorong Nightcap at 9.40pm, 1400 m under the night render, Stockyard Gate on 317.

The day after that carries the three biggest fields. The Jacaranda Cup over 2400 m at 3.10pm, twelve runners on a book of 127.0, the largest on the circuit. The Meridian at Mallee Park over 2000 m at 4.20pm, twelve runners on 124.4, with Switchyard on 261. The Wattle Hill Cup over 1800 m at 5.35pm, ten runners, Paper Lantern on 259.

The programme closes with a Maiden Flat at Mallee Park at 12.46pm and the Bellbird Steeple at 1.50pm, 4200 m over the nine fences at Bellbird Rise, where Sour Face holds 228 numbers and Half Mast and Rail Spike hold 208 each.

Every one of those cards is published complete before it runs: field, barriers, the full weighting table, the implied percentage per runner, the book total and the draw id. There are no scratchings on this circuit and no non-runners, so the field printed is the field that runs, and there is no starting price to wait for. The settle time goes up afterwards beside the seed, and the whole card can then be reconstructed from it.

Harbour Flyer holds the two largest blocks of the four days, 352 at Kurrajong and 338 at Gidgee, and was last seen winning a 2240 m standing-start trot at $5.29. Those three facts have nothing to do with one another, which is the entire subject of this paper.