Jason Warren is one of many trainers who will be hoping the predicted rain doesn’t fall before the running of the Manikato Stakes.
His equation for his four-year-old mare Brooklyn Hustle is simple: if the track is rain-affected on Friday night she can’t win and if it isn’t, she can.
Market 💰: View the Odds for the Manikato Stakes
Although Brooklyn Hustle flew home to finish fourth in the Moir Stakes behind Pippie on a slow track at her last run at Moonee Valley, it only reinforced to Warren that she can’t handle wet tracks.
“For the first three-quarters of the race she was dipping and couldn’t get her stride going. She only got any traction for the last 250 metres of the race and she flew home,” Warren said.
Warren said there was also a little question mark over whether she could run a strong 1200 metres.
“Everybody sees her run on over 1000 metres and puts two and two together, that she must be a 1200 metre horse, but that’s yet to be proven,” he said.
“She’s had two runs at Group One level over 1200 metres in the Blue Diamond and the Coolmore and another one at Group Three level and although she ran well, she didn’t win any of them.”
Warren said, however, that on each of those occasions Brooklyn Hustle had had a hindered preparation whereas everything had gone perfectly his time.
The Mornington trainer said the Manikato Stakes was the grand final for the daughter of Starspangledbanner this campaign.
He and co-trainer Dean Krongold have not made any plans for Brooklyn Hustle beyond the Manikato Stakes.
Another Mornington trainer, Chris Meagher, is also fearful of the track getting too wet for his last-start Moir Stakes winner Pippie.
“I’m happy with a soft six to soft seven but if it’s anything worse I’m worried about it,” Meagher said.
He added they would utilise barrier one and intended to use Pippie’s great early speed to lead from the outset.
“She came through the Moir in great fashion. She usually loses six to eight kilos but she lost between three and four and had put it back on by the Monday,” Meagher said.
