Wet Tracks Threaten Hawkes Sydney Plans
- Wednesday, 20 August 2014 07:49
More wet weather could force Hawkes Racing to abandon Sydney plans for most of its spring carnival stars.
Trainer Michael Hawkes confirmed La Amistad, who is among the early fancies in Melbourne Cup betting, won't resume in the Rowley Mile at Hawkesbury on Thursday if the track is heavy.
And he expects Messene will also be scratched from Saturday's Warwick Stakes if Randwick is also badly rain-affected.
Hawkes said there was no point running horses on unfavourable surfaces early in their campaigns.
"If you do, you just give them gut busters," he said.
With few alternative targets in Sydney until the Chelmsford Stakes meeting on September 6, Hawkes said the stable would seriously consider sending the bulk of its team to Melbourne if Sydney's wet spell continued.
"I hope it doesn't keep raining. If it does a lot of our horses will go to Melbourne," Hawkes said.
"We've got five (horses) in on Saturday and if it's a heavy track all our runners might be out."
Messene is favourite in first Warwick Stakes markets while La Amistad has been well found in the Rowley Mile as a $6 chance.
If they go to Melbourne they could run in the Memsie Stakes on Saturday week and Hawkes said there was a strong chance both horses would remain there for the spring.
"We're not ones to go up and down the highway for each run," he said.
Both Hawkesbury and Randwick were rated in the heavy range on Wednesday.
The Australian Turf Club's Lindsay Murphy said Randwick had received less rain than the other three Sydney venues with 77mm compared to 158mm at Rosehill.
