A revised weather forecast will almost certainly ensure a heavy surface for the official start to the Sydney spring carnival at Randwick on Saturday.
While the Randwick course proper showed marginal improvement on Tuesday morning, Australian Turf Club officials are resigned to the Warwick Stakes meeting being one for the mudlarks.
Randwick received another 29mm of overnight rain to keep it at the lower end of the heavy range on Tuesday and there had been hopes Sydney’s deluge would ease before the weekend.
But the ATC’s Lindsay Murphy said it was likely there would be more rain on Thursday, sealing the racetrack’s fate.
“The weather bureau is telling us there’s some chance of showers and they will be a bit more prominent on Thursday,” Murphy said.
“So Thursday probably holds the key. It will be a heavy track (on Saturday) with that forecast for a high chance of showers.”
Barrier trials, including three heats on the Kensington track, are also scheduled for Randwick on Friday but the ATC could transfer the session to Warwick Farm’s Pro Ride track.
The Melbourne Cup favourite The Offer is entered for a 1250-metre heat with comeback galloper My Kingdom Of Fife also a nomination.
My Kingdom Of Fife is also one of nine Chris Waller-trained horses in the Warwick Stakes entries.
Injury has interrupted My Kingdom Of Fire’s career since his Queen Elizabeth Stakes win in 2011 and Waller says his days of racing at the top level might be behind him.
“It will be a second-tier approach with him,” Waller said. “We’ll target some of the lesser weight-for-age races and steer clear of the Cox Plate horses.”
Waller has dual Doncaster Mile winner Sacred Falls set to resume on Saturday as one of the best credentialled wet-track horses in Australian racing.
Sacred Falls is entered for the Warwick Stakes and the Show Country Quality.
“Whether he’ll run a strong 1400 metres first-up is the concern and that’s why we put him in the Show County as well,” Waller said.
“Twelve hundred metres will be nowhere near as taxing.”
Godolphin has nominated Earthquake to resume in the Silver Shadow Stakes but trainer John O’Shea has been reported as saying the Blue Diamond Stakes winner won’t run if the track is too wet.
