Wet track to help Tiger Tees keep winning form in Warwick Stakes

A wet Randwick track on Saturday will help Tiger Tees maintain his winning form in the Group 2 weight for age $175,000 Pro-Ride Warwick Stakes (1400m).

Tiger Tees, green and yellow, winning the G1 Galaxy at Rosehill on a wet track

Tiger Tees, green and yellow, winning the G1 Galaxy at Rosehill on a wet track. Photo by Steve Hart.

Warwick Farm trainer Joe Pride snuck down to Melbourne with Tiger Tees to win the Group 3 $150,000 Aurie’s Star Handicap (1200m) up the Flemington straight on August 9 but was quick to head back home when the rain arrived in Sydney at the beginning of the week.

Tiger Tees is regarded as one of the best wet trackers racing in the country and the prospect of a rain affected track on Saturday was an invitation too good to refuse for Pride.

“Tiger Tees has shown he runs well on good tracks but he handles wet tracks a lot better than many others,” Pride told AAP.

The Dubawi gelding showed his liking for the soft conditions with a narrow win over Anatina in the Group 1 $400,000 Bloodstock.com.au Galaxy (1100m) at Rosehill during the Sydney Autumn Carnival, one of four races Tiger Tees has won on a slow or heavy track.

Pride will also saddle up 2012 Group 1 Rosehill Guineas winner Laser Hawk who will be having his second run for the Warwick Farm stable after beating one runner home when eighth to Sweet Idea in the Group 2 $175,000 McGrath Estate Agents Missile Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on August 9 at his first run for over twelve months.

Premiership winning trainer Chris Waller dominates the Warwick Stakes field, providing six of the final eleven acceptors with five of them all having won on rain affected tracks.

Sacred Falls, Hawkspur, My Kingdom Of Fife and Royal Descent have all won at Group 1 level on slow or heavy tracks while Weary finished third in this year’s Group 1 $3m The Star Doncaster Mile (1600m) at Randwick on April 12 on a heavy track as well as a win at Group 3 level in heavy conditions.

The rain arrived in Sydney over the weekend and is forecast to continue for the rest of the week and if the Randwick track, rated a heavy 8 at acceptance time, is still affected on Saturday, Waller will more than likely save multiple Group 1 winner Boban for another day with the Group 1 $400,000 Memsie Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield the following week an alternative.

“The weather is a query with him,” Waller said.

“If it was slow or worse we could save him for the Memsie. That looks like a nice race for him.”

The wet weather could also cause Dissident to delay his return to the racetrack with leading Caulfield trainer Peter Moody indicating that he would be prepared to wait an extra week if the track was heavily rain affected and kick off the his Spring Carnival campaign in the Memsie Stakes.

One trainer who is not frightened by the wet conditions is David Payne who will saddle up Criterion who will be having his first run back since winning the Group 1 $2m BMW Australian Derby (2400m) at Randwick on April 12 on a heavy track.

About The Author

Mark Mazzaglia

Mark is a passionate journalist with a life-time involvement in the racing industry. He spent many years as an analyst and form expert at the Courier Mail and also has hands-on experience working with some of Queensland’s top trainers.