A wet track at Randwick on Saturday will prevent glamour filly Earthquake from making her 2014 Spring Carnival debut in the Group 2 $175,000 Silver Shadow Stakes (1200m).
Earthquake won't run in Silver Shadow Stakes if track is heavily rain affected. Photo by Steve Hart.
Head Godolphin trainer John O’Shea had planned to kick off Earthquake’s Spring campaign against the fillies but is not keen to start her first up on a rain affected track.
The Sydney region has been hit with torrential rain since the weekend and with more rain forecast for the rest of the week the prospect of a good racing surface is diminishing.
The Goulburn meeting set down for Monday and Newcastle’s Tuesday meeting were both abandoned due to the state of the track because of the rain and the track at Canterbury on Wednesday is already rated a heavy 9.
O’Shea is very pleased with the progress of Earthquake as she prepares for a tough Spring campaign but will wait until Saturday morning to make final decision if she goes around on Saturday.
“She worked sensationally this morning, so she’s ready to go, but I don’t want to give her a gut-buster on a ‘heavy 10’ first-up, she’s got a long preparation ahead of her,” O’Shea told Racing Network.
“We’ll wait until Saturday morning and see how the track comes up before making any decision, but if it’s heavy she won’t run.”
“We’ve been ticking her over with a view to a long spring. Her main goal will be the Coolmore Stud Stakes in Melbourne. Nothing worries her, she’s got a great attitude, which the good horses tend to have.’’
The Group 1 $500,000 Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) for the three year olds at Flemington on the first day of the Melbourne Cup Carnival is the main Spring Carnival target for Earthquake.
Earthquake was one of the stars of last season’s two year old brigade with four wins and a second from five race starts.
One of her wins was the Group 1 $1m Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 22 but her only defeat was on a heavy track when second to Mossfun in the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill during the Sydney Autumn Carnival.
If Earthquake doesn’t go around, O’Shea could still a runner with Memorial also nominated for the Silver Shadow Stakes.
The Street Cry filly is also resuming from a Winter break and hasn’t raced since finishing eighth to Eloping in the Group 3 $500,000 Girvan Waugh Royal Randwick Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 19.
Stable rider Kerrin McEvoy has been booked to ride Earthquake while the in-demand premiership winning jockey James McDonald will be aboard Memorial.
“Kerrin will ride Earthquake on Saturday, and James will ride Memorial,” O’Shea said.
The Australian Turf Club only received one extra filly for the Silver Shadow Stakes after nominations were extend with the Anthony Cummings trained High Above being added, taking the total to nine.
