Joe Pride Down To Two Runners At Randwick
- Friday, 12 February 2016 07:38
Unless there is an overnight deluge, Joe Pride's Randwick team will be reduced to two, putting a decision on Tiger Tees' racing future on hold for at least another week.
Pride said it would not be fair to run the Group One-winning sprinter on a firm track when he and the gelding's owners were trying to determine whether his racing days were over.
Tiger Tees was scheduled to run in the Group Three Southern Cross Stakes (1200m) to give connections the chance to assess him.
"Unless there is a storm, he won't run," Pride said.
"I don't want to run him on a rock-hard track and assess him on that.
"It is getting to the pointy end of a decision so we'll wait another week.
"If he shows he doesn't have it in him anymore then he will be going to a good home at the farm of one of his owners, Anthony Rix."
The winner of the 2014 Galaxy, Tiger Tees is the elder statesman in a family trio at Pride's stable with his siblings Terravista and Ball Of Muscle nearing their returns.
Pride said he was also likely to scratch Soros and Maddhal from the meeting leaving Open Book in the 1200m benchmark 85 and Adorabeel as his hope of a feature win in the Group Three Triscay Stakes, also over 1200m.
"I couldn't be happier with her," Pride said.
"She is definitely an autumn horse. She wasn't really trying in the spring but she has come back better.
"Her program after Saturday will be the Guy Walter followed by the Epona Stakes and then we can assess where we are with her."
A winner up to 1800m, Adorabeel holds entries to the Doncaster Mile and Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m).
She is an outsider in the Triscay with Private Secretary the $3.20 favourite.
