Trainers Jason Warren and Chris Meagher are hoping the predicted rain doesn't hit Moonee Valley before the Oct. 23 $1,000,000 Manikato Stakes (G1).
Warren's equation for his 4-year-old mare Brooklyn Hustle is simple: If the track is rain-affected, she can't win, and if it isn't, she can.
Although Brooklyn Hustle flew home to finish fourth in the Charter Keck Cramer Moir Stakes (G1) behind the reopposing 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 meters of the race, and she flew home," Warren said.
The daughter of Starspangledbanner won the listed Remembering Mark Goring & Adrian Ledger Handicap Aug. 1 at Moonee Valley before finishing third in the Sept. 5 Mitty's McEwen Stakes (G2) prior to her Moir Stakes effort.
Meagher is also fearful of the track getting too wet for Pippie.
"I'm happy with a soft six to soft seven, but if it's anything worse, I'm worried about it," the trainer said. "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."
Cummings' Faith in Trekking
Conditioner James Cummings is of the belief Trekking has the resilience to follow up his fourth in the Oct. 17 Everest Stakes (G1) with another solid run in the Manikato. The Godolphin-raced 6-year-old was beaten just over three lengths behind Classique Legend at Randwick last weekend and has since made the trip down to Melbourne.
"The question in my mind is the six-day backup after his tenacious assault on The Everest," Cummings told Racing.com. "I know the horse is paving the way as the first sprinter to back up out of that pressure cooker, and he is the type of tough journeyman to pull it off. He strode out nicely all week, reassuring me that he was right to travel down and tackle the Melbourne sprinters again."
