Tiger Tees was included in the 2015 The Galaxy field that was released yesterday, but trainer Joe Pride has revealed that the veteran sprinter is unlikely to take his place in the Group 1 event at Rosehill Gardens on Saturday.
Tiger Tees is unlikely to be given the chance to defend his title in The Galaxy at Rosehill Gardens this weekend. Photo by: Steve Hart
Tiger Tees returned to racing in the Group 1 Canterbury Stakes (1300m) at Royal Randwick on March and he was well-backed in the lead-up to the race, but he failed to handle the firm surface and finished at the tail of the field.
Pride told Racing New South Wales stewards at the conclusion of the race that Tiger Tees need rain-affected ground to perform at his best and he confirmed this morning that the Dubawi gelding would be scratched from The Galaxy on Saturday if the track remained in the good range.
“There is a pretty fair chance that he won’t be able to go around,” Pride said.
“I did tell the stewards that I wouldn’t be running him on any good tracks and if that is what we presented with on the day then he would be pulled out.
“I was obliged to accept because you have to give him every opportunity to run, but when you are counting on things like the weather it is not as predicate as looking at a forecast.
“He is in there at the moment and we will just keep an eye on the weather.”
While Tiger Tees is unlikely to defend his title in The Galaxy, Pride is still a chance of having a runner in the race as talented three-year-old Kuro is currently the third emergency.
Kuro requires Tiger Tees as well as two other horses to be withdrawn from The Galaxy field to earn a start in the Group 1 event, but Pride is hopeful that connections of horses that have drawn wide in the sprint will elect to scratch their horses and deliver Tiger Tees a start.
“It is interesting to see what some of these other stables do with their runners,” Pride said.
“There are some awkward barriers there being drawn and the Rosehill 1100 is a tricky one from a bad barrier.
“That is up to them and I am sure that they will make the right decision with their horses.”’
Tiger Tees is currently available at 2015 The Galaxy odds of $51 with Ladbrokes, while Kuro is priced at a quote of $7 to record a maiden win at Group 1 level.
