Gerald Ryan is one trainer glad that the heavens have opened and is looking forward to seeing his two year old Assassinate competing on a wet Rosehill surface on Saturday.
Rosehill has been rated a heavy 9 after a week of rain and with more showers forecast Ryan is hopeful Assassinate can leapfrog into the Group 1 $3.5m AAMI Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on April 7 by winning on Saturday.
The winner of the Group 2 $200,000 Patinack Farm Silver Slipper Stakes (1100m) is exempt from the Golden Slipper ballot and a guaranteed start would make the run into the rich two year old race a lot easier.
As well as observing the More Than Ready colt working on wet tracks, Ryan knows that Assassinate has strong wet track ability through his breeding lines.
“I know he goes through it,” Ryan said. “Done it good, really good actually.”
More Than Ready is a renowned sire of wet trackers along with his grand dam, the Group 1 winning Lady Jakeo who has a good wet track record.
Assassinate is the winner of only one race from one start in a Maiden at Wyong over 1000m with only $14,100 in the bank, but Ryan was so impressed with that effort he is willing to step him up to the top level.
“He was impressive there, I don’t know what he beat and he ran fair time, nothing startling, but I know he has improved again since,” Ryan Said.
“From what he’s shown me at home, he is at the higher end of my two year olds this season, he’s probably going to be a better three year old, but of the colts he is up there somewhere around Amorino.”
Ryan has already produced two year old Amorino to win twice in Sdyney before taking him to the Gold Coast where he finished sixth behind Driefontein in the 1200m $2m BMW Magic Millions 2yo Classic in January.
Before that Amorino scored first up in the City Tattersalls 2yo Plate (1000m) at Randwick on October 15 as well as a win in the Summer Super Saver Ticket 2yo Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill on December 31.
Assassinate is to be ridden by Glyn Schofield for the first time replacing Corey Brown and is currently $11 in a pretty hot Silver Slipper field which is featuring the return to racing of the one time Golden Slipper favourite Pierro who is at the head of betting at $2.80 for Saturday’s race.
