The fire in the Norman Robinson Grandstand at Caulfield has resulted in the transfer of another meeting to Sandown.
Saturday’s Blue Diamond Preview card was moved to Sandown last week while the meeting scheduled for Caulfield on February 1 was on Thursday also moved to be run at Sandown.
The latest move follows local council orders that prohibit the Melbourne Racing Club from occupancy of the Caulfield Grandstand to make necessary operational race day preparations, which include the judge and race caller.
One trainer ‘upset’ by the move of Saturday’s meeting to Sandown is Clayton Douglas who had picked out a Stakes race at Caulfield for Perilous Fighter.
Douglas saw the Listed W J Adams Stakes (1000m) on Saturday as an ideal race for the son of Starspangledbanner and had pencilled that race in after Perilous Fighter had scored first-up over 1100m on the Caulfield Heath on December 26.
“He’s such a good Caulfield horse and I thought it would be a good time to try him at Stakes level again,” Douglas said.
“He seems to have a good second-up record, and I was really looking forward to seeing him at Caulfield again.
“Sandown, for him, makes it a little bit trickier, but where he’s drawn, he’ll get back and hopefully he’ll be finishing hard and can run another good race.”
Perilous Fighter has mixed form over the 1000m course at Sandown.
The four-year-old has had five starts over Saturday’s course and distance, for two third placings, a fourth and two last placings.
His most recent appearance at the track was when finishing last behind Mrs Chrissie, an opponent on Saturday, back in June.
Perilous Fighter is the $26 outsider with betting sites in Saturday’s seven-horse field which has Fickle the $2.60 top elect while Mrs Chrissie is on the third line of betting at $3.60.
