Ground may be quicker on far side but Goodwood clerk does not expect track bias in Stewards' Cup

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Clerk of the course Ed Arkell played down any draw advantage in today's Coral Stewards' Cup (3.35) at Goodwood, where the ground remains officially good to firm after watering overnight.

The GoingStick readings suggest conditions are slightly quicker on the far side of a track where 28 sprinters will gallop across the whole of the course in one of the biggest betting races of the season. 

"It looks like the far-side rail is a bit faster, I don't know if that's just because it's been raced on a bit more and has opened up a bit more," Arkell told the Racing Post at 6.45am.

"But we've had some fairly big fields racing up the sprint course and it doesn't appear that there's any sort of bias."

Ed Arkell: "It doesn't appear that there's any sort of bias"Credit: Edward Whitaker (racingpost.com/photos)

Current market leaders Sondad and Far Above Dream are both drawn on the stands' side in the Stewards' Cup, with Dark Thirty the shortest-priced contender among those on the far side.  

The track was watered again overnight in an attempt to make up for the moisture lost during the day on Friday.

"We're leaving it at good to firm," Arkell said. "We put 4mm onto the straight last night and roughly the same onto the bends.

"We lost about 3mm yesterday so we've put the moisture back in and hopefully we're back where we were then."

This is the final day of a five-day meeting, which has taken place at the end of a long dry spell.

"Everybody has been very happy with how it has ridden this week and walking round this morning the track seems to have taken the racing remarkably well," Arkell said.

"Down the bottom end of the straight it's looking a little bit battered but you expect that with 400 and something horses over it. Some bits of it, apart from the hoofprints you'd hardly know it's been raced on."

Now read these...

Stewards' Cup runner-by-runner guide: key quotes and Keith Melrose's star ratings for every contender 

'He can make a bold bid to retain his crown' - why this horse can win on day five of Glorious Goodwood 

'She is better suited to this course and looks underestimated in the betting' - Harry Wilson has tips for every race on day five at Glorious Goodwood 

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