Sydney’s winter weather is likely to entice Queensland trainer Liam Birchley to send a couple of wet trackers to Rosehill on Saturday.
Birchley has nominated sprinter Sarge In Charge and three-year-old filly Whateverwhenever for Saturday’s meeting and said heavy conditions would suit the pair.
Sarge In Charge is among 20 nominations for the 1100m Benchmark 85 Handicap while Whateverwhenever has been entered for the 3YO Benchmark 80 over 1200m.
Evergreen jockey Robert Thompson has been booked to ride both horses.
“I only put them in because the weather is the way it is, so they look likely to run at this point,” Birchley said.
“Sarge In Charge loves the wet and so does the other one (Whateverwhenever).”
Four-year-old Sarge In Charge’s last appearance in Sydney was 11 months ago when finishing second to Winter King over 1000m on a heavy track at Randwick.
The gelding has been freshened since his last start 11th in a 1200m Class Six at Doomben on May 14.
“He was accepted for in the Lightning Handicap (in Brisbane last Saturday) but we didn’t get the rain that we thought we would,” Birchley said.
“The way it looks like being there (Sydney) looks to be his ideal conditions.”
Stablemate Whateverwhenever has won three of her seven starts.
Birchley said the filly would be scratched from Wednesday’s Doomben meeting but she is also nominated for a race at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.
“Whateverwhenever is just an exceptionally good wet tracker so I just thought I would throw a nomination in (for the Rosehill race) and see how the track came up,” Birchley said.
“I’m not overly familiar with the form down there but she won her last start up here and just bearing in mind how she goes in the conditions I thought it was a viable option.”
Whateverwhenever is a last-start Class Three winner at Doomben and won an Ipswich Class One by four lengths in December at her only start on a heavy track.
Randwick’s two meetings over the long weekend were run in heavy conditions and Canterbury is rated in the heavy range for Wednesday’s meeting.
Rosehill conducted barrier trials on Tuesday morning on a heavy surface.
AAP TURF
