Officials at the Australian Turf Club are closely watching the weather ahead of Saturday’s Missile Stakes meeting at Randwick, with more rain set to hit an already saturated track.
As of Thursday, the Randwick surface was rated a heavy 9 after more than 155mm of rain fell across the week—matching the usual monthly total in just seven days.
ATC assistant track manager Jake Carlaw said further showers forecast on Friday and Saturday make conditions unpredictable.
“The next couple of days, there’s about five mils forecast on Friday and about fifteen on Saturday, so it is quite a tricky forecast for the team,” Carlaw noted.
“Considering we had barrier trials today (Thursday) we will give the track a quick fill, hopefully mow the track this afternoon and just let Mother Nature take its course with this rain in the next few days.”
The rail will be placed back in the true position for the first time since early June, giving horses access to fresh ground.
The expected heavy surface could force the scratching of high-profile runners, with trainer Joe Pride leaning toward withdrawing Group 1 winner Private Eye if there’s no improvement.
Should Private Eye come out, he’ll head to Warwick Farm for a barrier trial on Friday instead. Pride confirmed a final decision will be made that morning.
Encap is also unlikely to take his place in the field, with trainer Gary Portelli planning to trial the Doncaster Mile placegetter at Rosehill next week if the track remains too testing.
Meanwhile, Robusto is locked in to contest the feature for Bjorn Baker, having proven his fitness with strong runs throughout the winter campaign.
The winner of The Ingham, Robusto was runner-up in the Winter Stakes and a last-start winner in the Winter Challenge.
Baker sees the drop to 1200m as a non-issue, particularly under the wet conditions.
“Not with the track the way it is. It might be a big advantage,” Baker said.
“He’s running and he is rock-hard fit.”