Talented colt Nostradamus will take his place in the 2014 Run To The Rose field after he was scratched from the McNeil Stakes this morning.
Nostradamus is a confirmed starter in the 2014 The Run To The Rose Field. Photo by: Steve Hart
Nostradamus was included in the acceptances for both the Group 3 The Run To The Rose (1200m) at Rosehill Gardens and the Group 3 McNeil Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield due to concerns about the wet Rosehill Gardens track, but Team Hawkes have elected to give the three-year-old the opportunity to run on the heavy surface.
Co-trainer Wayne Hawkes said that he is very confident that Nostradamus will win The Run To The Rose if he is able to handle the rain affected track and is happy with the condition of the horse, but said that he has no indication how the son of Medaglia D’Oro will go on the track that is currently rated a heavy 9.
“He is good and he has done everything right,” Hawkes told Racing Ahead this morning.
“We didn’t really decide until the last minute whether to bring him to Melbourne or keep him up there.
“He is there and if he was in Melbourne he would have run in Melbourne, there is no doubt about that.
“He was in Sydney and the Golden Rose is the race we are looking at and his Mum raced on a wet track and loved it.
“You have to have a line in the sand for something and we thought that if he won and bolted in tomorrow on a wet track you know what price he is going to be for the Golden Rose, he will be $1.10 and that is not being smart.
“Nostradamus will be just winning and winning by panels or he will not handle the wet track and he is going to run down the track.
“You either like him and you back him or you just sit back and watch him because it is as simple as that.
“Brenton Avdulla will know going around to the barriers, so if you can get him to give you a wave or a nudge that will be half the challenge.
“Tomorrow will tell us whether he will stay in Sydney for the Golden Rose or get out of the wet place and come straight to Melbourne.”
Nostradamus is currently available at 2014 Run To The Rose odds of $5 and he is on the second line of the betting market at Ladbrokes Australia from the undefeated Almalad ($3.80).
The talented colt is available at a quote of $8 to win the Group 1 Golden Rose Stakes (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on September 13 but, as Hawkes suggested, that price will be significantly shorter if he wins The Run To The Rose tomorrow.
