Eagle Farm trainer Kelly Schweida will consider scratching top fancy Cape Kidnappers from the Group 3 $175,000 W.J. Healy Stakes (1200m) at Eagle Farm if the track doesn’t receive any moisture before Saturday.
Cape Kidnappers needs soft ground to run in the W J Healy Stakes at Eagle Farm. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Schweida is reluctant to run the injury plagued Cape Kidnappers on a firm surface and when he looked at the track yesterday came away hoping for rain or some substantial watering.
“If it’s as hard as it was yesterday, he won’t be running,’’ Schweida told The Courier-Mail.
“The forecast makes it worse. It means they probably hold off watering, waiting for the rain.
“If they water and it rains, then they look like gooses. It makes it very hard for them, but I have to look after the horse and he won’t run if it’s too hard.’’
On Thursday morning the Eagle Farm track was rated a Good 3 with the possibility of showers until Saturday forecast by the Bureau of Meteorology.
Cape Kidnappers is racing in outstanding fashion with wins at his last two starts at Listed level.
After failing first up at Doomben on May 10, Cape Kidnappers scored a two and a quarter lengths win in the Listed $80,000 Sita Australia Chief De Beers Handicap (1110m) at Doomben on May 24.
The Commands six year old followed that up with a win over Healy Stakes rivals Big Money and Rocky King in the Listed $100,000 Evergreen Turf Lightning Handicap (1000m) at Eagle Farm on June 7.
While Cape Kidnappers has wet track form with three wins on the slow, his main rival Bennetta has performed best on top of the ground.
The Grahame Begg trained Bennetta showed that she wasn’t far off returning to the winner’s stall with an eye catching third to Sacred Star in the Group 2 $175,000 Magic Millions QTC Cup (1300m) at Eagle Farm on May 31.
Begg has also put the blinkers back on the General Nediym mare in an attempt to see her win her first race in over twelve months, her last victory being in February last year when she came from back in the field to win the Group 2 $175,000 Light Fingers Stakes (1200m) at Rosehill.
Bennetta has been installed the early $3.70 favourite for the Healy Stakes with Ladbrokes.com.au just ahead of Cape Kidnappers at $4 and Big Money at $5.50.
The Robert Heathcote trained Excellantes and Seeking More from the Kelso Wood stable share the next line of betting at $9 with topweight Howmuchdoyouloveme rated a $10 chance.
