The Melbourne Racing Club has defended its controversial rail positioning for Saturday's important Memsie Stakes meeting at Caulfield.
Track manager Jason Kerr told Sportal the decision to place the rail out 11 metres was made with a view to ensure the track would be in peak condition for the MRC's showcase three-day Caulfield Cup carnival starting on October 11.
"The priority is over the carnival. We don't want to jeopardise the track for the carnival for the sake of tomorrow," Kerr said on Friday.
"If we had have raced in true for tomorrow, the track wouldn't have been at its best for the carnival. That's the way we're looking at it."
"Obviously, we just want to look after the inside section for the carnival. We can't race in the true every time unfortunately."
Kerr said the rail, out eight metres for the Liston Stakes meeting a fortnight ago, would return to the true position for the next three meetings at Caulfield - Underwood Stakes Day, Caulfield Guineas and Thousand Guineas days.
"That's why not we're back in there tomorrow," he said.
Saturday's wide rail placement had been criticised by prominent owner Lloyd Williams and trainer Steve Richards, whose horses C'est La Guerre and Playwright were both balloted out of Saturday's G2 Memsie Stakes (1400m).
The pair is first and second emergencies respectively for the Memsie, which attracted a capacity field of 13 and four stand-bys.
The Rokk Ebony Handicap, another 1400m race on the card, also has a maximum field of 13 and four emergencies because of the rail placing.
Both races feature many horses on the trail to the big three races of Melbourne's spring carnival.
Kerr will add another 3mm of irrigation on the track on Friday afternoon to ensure it preserves its Good 3 rating for Saturday's eight-race card.