Alma’s Fury is an unlikely starter at Warwick Farm on Saturday with trainer Paul Murray indicating he will wait for the Apollo Stakes.
Murray said the in-form Alma’s Fury would not run in Saturday’s Warwick Farm Handicap (1600m) if the track was slow or heavy.
Warwick Farm was rated slow on Thursday and with more rain predicted the meeting is expected to be run on a surface no better than its current rating.
Alma’s Fury has returned in great form this preparation with three wins from as many starts, including back-to-back successes over 1500m at Rosehill.
However, the four-year-old is unplaced in two previous attempts on slow and heavy ground and has won just once from eight attempts on a dead surface.
“He probably won’t be running because he won’t run on a heavy track or even if it’s slow,” Murray said.
“He just doesn’t handle it and his race is the last race of the day.
“I would say (if he doesn’t run) that he’ll go straight into the Apollo Stakes.”
The Group Two Apollo (1400m) is at Rosehill on February 25.
Twice stakes-placed as a three-year-old, including in the Group Three Grand Prix Stakes (2200m) in Brisbane, Alma’s Fury is likely to be kept to races up to 1600 metres this preparation.
“If he runs in the Apollo and goes well then we’ll poke along and pick out the odd race through the carnival,” Murray said.
The gelding is among nominations for the Group One Doncaster (1600m) and the Kembla-based trainer says the feature mile at Randwick in April is being considered.
“We did nominate him for it and he would get in on a light weight, so we’ll just see what happens,” Murray said.
Alma’s Fury is on the second line of betting with TAB Sportsbet at $4.40 for Saturday’s event behind fellow Kembla-based galloper Rolling Pin who is the $2.50 favourite.
The consistent Rolling Pin, winner of six of his 15 starts, has a victory on both slow and heavy ground.
AAP TURF
