The prospect of another Winter Carnival wet track at the Sunshine Coast on Saturday could lure trainer Brett Cavanough to run his last start Randwick winner The Monstar in the Listed $175,000 HMR Projects Glasshouse Handicap (1400m).
The Monstar, above, would like a wet track for the Glasshouse Handicap at the Sunshine Coast. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Three of the last six Winter Carnival feature race meetings have been run on a rain affected track and with the Bureau Of Meteorology forecasting showers for late in the week, Cavanough could get his wish for a soft track at the Sunshine Coast.
The Monstar is also nominated for the Listed $150,000 Civic Stakes (1350m) at Rosehill on Saturday and Cavanough said that Californian Dane six year old would line up on the most suitable surface.
“It’s either the Civic Stakes or Glasshouse and he won at the Sunshine Coast last year,” Cavanough told the Gold Coast Bulletin.
“At the end of the day it will be weather dominated and he is ready to go either way.
“We’re only seven to eight hours from Queensland so you probably want to be out of here Thursday afternoon (if we go to Queensland).”
The Monstar led all of the way on a heavy 10 Randwick track last start to record a five and three quarter lengths win in the Listed $150,000 June Stakes (1100m) on June 10 and Cavanough can’t see a problem in stepping the sprinter to the 1400m of the Glasshouse Handicap.
“I don’t have too many issues (with 1400m) and he jogged every part of (the June Stakes over 1100m) the other day,” Cavanough said.
“If the track has give in it and he is on song, there is an old adage those 1000m and 1100m horses sometimes at 1200m there is just too much pressure and if you go to 1400m they can just get left alone or get a softer lead.”
The Monstar is the winner of eight races on rain affected tracks and is one of twenty-two sprinters nominated for the Glasshouse Handicap with the Sunshine Coast track rated a Good 4 on Tuesday morning.
The Monstar is the winner of eleven of his thirty-seven starts which includes a win on the Sunshine Coast track last year in a 1000m BenchMark 90 Handicap and has earned $487,540 in prizemoney for his connections.
