2019 Victoria Derby Day: Flemington Forecast, Scratchings & Track Report

The Melbourne Cup Carnival kicks off today, Saturday November 2, and it could be a disastrous day weather-wise at Flemington Racecourse with some nasty forecasts suggesting a soaking for the 2019 Victoria Derby Day racegoers.

The Chosen One. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

The Chosen One remains in the 2019 Lexus Hotham Stakes field despite already being assured of a Melbourne Cup run. Photo: Ultimate Racing Photos.

Flemington Track Report – 02/11/2019

Rail: True Entire Circuit
Weather: Showers
Track Type: Turf
Track Rating: Good (4)
Irrigation: Nil last 24 hours; 28mm last 7 days
Rainfall: 4.2mm last 24 hours; 7.22 last 7 days

Heavy rains, wild winds and flash flooding are forecast for Derby Day 2019 making it a tough one for punters looking ahead to the nine Group races on the program.

There is 100% chance of rainfall by the time the Group 1 races get underway so no doubt there will be a downgrade to the current Good (4) Flemington track rating.

The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast up to 30mm of rainfall across the early afternoon with the Flemington track in for an absolute drenching.

Flemington track manager Liam O’Keeffe said the team were predicting conditions similar to those of 2018 Melbourne Cup Day but hoped that the burst of heavy rainfall stayed away from the race times.

“I would basically describe it as similar to last year’s Melbourne Cup day – if a storm sits over you, you can get a lot of rain but if you can miss the storms you can get away reasonably unscathed,” he said.

“Literally think back to last year’s Melbourne Cup day – if we do get that torrential rain the track can go to heavy once the horses open up the ground.

“But it is going to depend on if those storms sit over the top of us or not.

“It’s just so uncertain the thunderstorm activity.

“It is just going to be one of those wait and see days.”

It could be carnage for the course at HQ by the time the day’s marquee race runs – the three-year-old stayers facing off in Flemington Race 7 (3:45pm) – the Group 1 $2 million AAMI Victoria Derby (2500m).

Despite the forecast, the sole scratching from the 2019 Victoria Derby field is the Danny O’Brien-trained Serious Liaison (7) who was withdrawn with injury and sent straight to the paddock earlier in the week.

The race suffering the highest attrition rate after the official Flemington scratchings for Saturday is the Group 3 $300,000 Lexus Hotham Stakes (2500m).

Offering the winner a free pass into Tuesday’s iconic Group 1 $8 million Lexus Melbourne Cup (3200m), the Hotham Stakes 2019 field is down to 11 runners.

Three horses have come out of the handicap having already secured a spot in the 24-horse Melbourne Cup 2019 field: #2 Sound (11), #5 Neufbosc (10) and #9 Youngstar (5).

Surprisingly the Kiwi training duo of Murray Baker & Andrew Forsman have opted to keep The Chosen One in the mix despite the Savabeel four-year-old sitting 23^rd on the current 2019 Melbourne Cup order of entry.

See below for the full Flemington Derby Day race scratchings and jump times before heading to Ladbrokes.com.au for the weekend’s hottest racing odds.