Tony McEvoy admits his chances of adding to his feature-mile wins on the track where he runs a successful satellite stable will depend on the weather.
McEvoy nominated two horses for the Group Three Hawkesbury Gold Cup on Saturday but only remains in contention for a start.
The trainer was hoping to have Mouro resume from a let-up in the $150,000 race but the six-year-old won’t be an acceptor after causing the stable some concern following trackwork on Tuesday.
“He’s had trouble with his joints all his life and it looks like it has gone far enough on that joint at the moment,” McEvoy said.
Mouro’s absence will leave Evangelist as McEvoy’s Cup representative if forecast rain for Sydney later in the week doesn’t arrive.
“Evangelist needs good ground,” McEvoy said. “I want to run him in the Cup but if it’s wet he won’t be going around and I’ll save him for Scone.”
Since opening a Hawkesbury stable two years ago to complement his South Australian operation, McEvoy has enjoyed success in the 2013 and 2014 Rowley Mile, winning with Mouro and Mr Chard respectively.
A UK import, Evangelist made a winning Australian debut at Rosehill in July but the five-year-old has been in and out of form since.
Beaten at the post in the Golden Mile, Evangelist ran well below that form in beating one horse to the finish in the Tails Stakes at Doomben.
McEvoy says he will run inexperienced Niccoco in the 125,000 two-year-old Claret Stakes, regardless of the conditions.
Niccoco has been to the races once, finishing in a blanket for the minor placings when third to Badajoz on a soft track at Hawkesbury.
Laser Hawk and I’m Imposing are equal topweights for the Cup with 59kg but the latter is unlikely to start after running in the Hollindale Stakes on Saturday.
Officials rated the Hawkesbury track in the heavy range on Tuesday.
