The rain may be welcome in Victoria, but a wet track is not what the Ciaron Maher stable wants for Running By at Caulfield.
Lining up for her third start from a break, Running By is down to run in the MRC Chairman’s Club Handicap (1440m) on Saturday, however she has drawn out in barrier 15 under John Allen.
There is the option that Running By may be kept for the Leilani Series Final (1400m) at Flemington on Saturday week.
Jack Turnbull, the National Assistant Trainer for the Ciaron Maher Stable, said Running By’s best performances have come on firm tracks.
Running By ran second in the Group 3 Mannerism Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on good ground in February 2024, won on good ground at Caulfield over 1400m last August and won the Inglis Bracelet (1600m) on a good track at Flemington during last year’s Melbourne Cup Carnival.
However, the mare did flop on heavy ground in the lead up to that Flemington success in the Let’s Elope Stakes (1400m) at Flemington, although Running By did resume with a solid effort at Flemington over 1200m on a soft track last month.
Running By’s most recent outing was when third on a good track behind the in-form Hughes at Sandown on June 14 when ridden by apprentice Jaylah Kennedy.
“It’s a hard one as she’s a fast ground horse,” Turnbull said.
“Last start the ground wasn’t to her liking Jaylah didn’t think.
“It was a bit shifty, but she is progressing very well from first-up to second-up and she has a race in her quite close, but whether that’s over seven or eight furlongs, we’ll just have to see.
“Her first-up run was good, and it rated how she had come back in previous runs and suggested she will go on with it and last start to run into the placings was ideal.
“Naturally you want to win, but there was always going to be improvement, and she’s got a nice program for her next two or three runs.”
