Warwick Farm trainer Guy Walter is almost resigned to his home track conspiring against Villiers Stakes plans for promising galloper Straight Albert.
Straight Albert, the Goulburn Cup winner in record time last month, is in danger of missing a start in the Group Two race.
The famous summer feature will be run at Warwick Farm on Saturday because its traditional home, Randwick, has been closed as work starts on a $150 million redevelopment.
A Randwick Villiers field can accommodate 20 starters but only 16 runners are allowed from the Warwick Farm 1600m start.
“As it stands he is 20th out of 20 in the ballot and he’ll probably end up first or second emergency,” Walter said.
Straight Albert is in his first preparation for Walter and the four-year-old underlined his promise with a gritty Goulburn Cup victory at his most recent start.
The four-year-old was set to fill a Villiers void for Walter with stablemates Willy Jimmy and Al Dhafra ruled out of the race.
“Willy Jimmy is out spelling and I’ve backed off Al Dhafra because he hasn’t really got past first base this preparation,” Walter said.
A rain-affected track could help Straight Albert scrape into the field with several high-profile runners suspect in the wet.
Walter, however, has taken the precaution of nominating Straight Albert for a restricted 1600m race on the same card.
“Even though he might lack that little bit of brilliance for a mile around Warwick Farm I would like to see him get a run in the Villiers,” Walter said.
“There’s a plan B and he will run in the benchmark race if he can’t get into the Villiers field.”
Warwick Farm track manager James Cataldo said after Tuesday trackwork he would wait until Wednesday morning before releasing an official track rating.
“I haven’t done a proper penetrometer reading yet but from a visual inspection and a walkover it’s in the unofficial slow range,” he said.
“Jockeys like Kerrin McEvoy, Nathan Berry and Peter Robl who rode on the course proper said it felt like a slow track.”
Cataldo said Warwick Farm had missed the brunt of Sydney’s rainfall but the racetrack had still received 26mm since Sunday.
The Gai Waterhouse-trained King Lionheart and Festival Stakes winner Monton are Villiers topweights with 58kg.
Straight Albert is one of 10 horses handicapped on the 52kg limit.
AAP TURF
