Stephen Autridge will head to Pukekohe Park on New Year’s Day with two of the fancied runners for the Gr.2 Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes (2050m), but the wet weather has the Matamata trainer concerned.
“I just don’t want that rain to hang around for too much longer. The experts said we were going to have a drought (this summer), so I don’t know when that is arriving,” he said.
Still Bangon (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) heads into Monday as a $2.50 favourite for the fillies feature off the back of her win in the Gr.3 Eulogy Stakes (1600m) at Trentham a fortnight ago on a Soft7 track.
The Pukekohe track was rated a Soft7 on Saturday afternoon and Autridge said he doesn’t want to see the track downgraded further ahead of Monday.
“She has handled a couple of Soft tracks. I don’t know what she would be like if it got very heavy,” he said.
“Trentham was pretty rain-affected, she came from well off the pace and found the line strongly.
“It was her first trip away and she really enjoyed it.”
Autridge will also line-up Livid Sky (NZ) (Proisir) in the race, with the daughter of Proisir backing up from her fourth placed run in the Gr.2 Eight Carat Classic (1600m) at Pukekohe on Boxing Day.
Livid Sky has already secured black-type with her placing in the Gr.3 Bonecrusher Stakes (1400m) earlier this month when competing on a Good4 track, and Autridge holds concerns for her on rain-affected going.
“I thought her run in the Eight Carat was very good (on a Soft5 track), she just got held up a little bit coming into the corner but finished off nicely,” he said.
“She is the one that we would rather the track be better than worse. It was (Soft)7 or better I would say she is going to give them a fright as well.”
Livid Sky is a $6.50 third favourite for the Sir Patrick Hogan Stakes, with the stablemates being split in the market by the Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained My Lips Are Sealed at $3.20.
Autridge will also line-up Intrepid Girl in the Auckland Co-op Taxis 1200.
“She is one that doesn’t want it too wet either, but it is going to be pretty hard to scratch a horse in an $85,000 (rating) 65,” he said.