Boban has been scratched from the 2014 Warwick Stakes that will be run at Royal Randwick on Saturday and is set to head to Melbourne for the Group 1 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield next weekend.
Boban has been scratched from the 2014 Warwick Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart
The Royal Randwick track is currently rated in the heavy 9 range and there is expected to be more rain heading into the Warwick Stakes meeting; with Track Manager Nevesh Ramdhani admitting that the track could get to a heavy 10 on Saturday.
Trainer Chris Waller revealed yesterday that Boban was unlikely to take his place in the Warwick Stakes field on a wet track and, in a move that surprised nobody, officially scratched the son of Bernardini from the Group 2 event this weekend.
“The Memsie Stakes next over 1400 metres at Caulfield and then two weeks into the Makybe Diva,” Waller said.
“There is no use wasting his runs, he doesn’t handle a heavy track and he doesn’t really handle a slow track.”
Boban has had three previous starts on a rain affected surface and he failed to fire in the Schweppes Handicap (1200m) at Sandown in 2012, the Group 2 Queensland Guineas (1400m) at Eagle Farm in 2013 and the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens earlier this year.
Another galloper that is a chance of being removed from the Warwick Stakes field is Team Hawkes-trained Messene, who opened as an early favourite in Warwick Stakes betting markets that were released yesterday.
Messene resumed with a close second behind Sweet Idea in the Group 2 Missile Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on August 9 and looks well placed in the Warwick Stakes, but did not handle a wet track when seventh in the Group 1 Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Royal Randwick during the 2014 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
“If it was a heavy track he probably wouldn’t run,” Hawkes told Sky Racing HQ.
“He doesn’t like it, he proved that in the Doncaster even though he ran a super race, but you are running on heavy tracks and you are giving horses gut-busters.
“Going forward there are some options with him, but we have accepted in the off case that we didn’t get the rain and a miracle happened.
“We will look at the alternative.”
Messene remains favourite at 2014 Warwick Stakes odds of $4.40, but there has been plenty of support for the Chris Waller-trained trio of Weary ($5), Sacred Falls ($5) and Royal Descent ($5.50).
