Based on a number of criteria as a punter and a veiwer this is the top 5 I arrived at:
1. Launceston
2. Ballarat
3. Geelong
4. Cobram
5. Pinjarra
Interesting that 3 of the 5 nominated do not have sprint lanes and no mention either of the new "super tracks" at Melton and Menangle that both got more carried away with horses running fast times than the actual racing side of things. Tracks such as Bendigo and Melton started out with high cambered velodrome type turns but both now resemble one lane highways on the fence most of the time after the tracks "bedded down".
Launceston was one of the original 1000m tracks built in Australia yet still puts most of the new fangled tracks to shame. The race distances are ideal also at 1680m, 2200m and 2680m and the only way to describe it is fair in all aspects which is all punters and participants want. If you want to run standing start races, the optimum distance is around 2600m as anything less is just too short and anything further is too long yet a lot of new tracks simply cannot cater for this distance.
The sprint lane is a moot point in my books as its one of the biggest myths ever that it gives more horses a chance when in reality the reverse happens. Sprint lanes actually lessen the chances in a race and I defy anybody to prove otherwise. They also take away some of the tactical aspect of driving which is a real shame.
As a punter, I was always happy to back a horse who would be taking the short way home on the pegs knowing that the price you paid for taking that route was that you may not get out of the pocket. Now they get to have their cake and eat it too!! Cyclists estimate that the slipstreaming effect means the trailing cyclist does 30% less work than the leader and with sprint lanes they not only get the benefit of the trail but they are now guaranteed a run as well. They are the best thing since sliced bread for punters too as it encourages horses to hand up to a favoured runner which just means that there are minimal winning hopes almost immediately from the start. You rarely see horses with a chance hand up the lead at tracks with no sprint lane which by extension creates races with an even tempo and gives more horses a chance.
Menangle is a strange one, I really think the size of the track causes problems with the racing as more horses get held up there than on an 800m track. The mindset of drivers seems to be to not pull out until the 400 with the long run home which means the 3rd quarter is usually slowish and nothing tends to drop off as they haven't worked too hard from the 800-400m mark which means those being held up don't get a run. Strangely enough, its probably the one track that does need a sprint lane.
