The forecast of more rain in Melbourne in the lead up to the weekend has forced Tasmanian trainer Adam Trinder to delay the start of Cox Plate favourite Mystic Journey’s 2019 Spring Carnival Campaign.
Mystic Journey, above, won’t run in the Bletchingly Stakes at Caulfield. Photo by Ultimate Racing Photos.
Trinder had hoped to kick off Mystic Journey’s Spring Carnival at Caulfield on Saturday in the Group 3 $160,000 The Big Screen Company Bletchingly Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield but the Australian Guineas winner is now likely to step out in the Group 2 $200,000 P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 17.
The Caulfield track was downgraded to a Soft 6 on Wednesday morning following 12.2mm of rain overnight and a further down grade is likely with more rain predicted before the weekend and Trinder had said early in the week that he didn’t want to run his stable star on a genuine rain affected tack.
“We just weren’t willing to risk putting her on a boat on Thursday and then have the possibility of having to bring her back (to Tasmania) without racing,” Mystic Journey’s owner Wayne Roser told Racenet.
“Adam and I are a bit disappoined she won’t be running on Saturday but the right decision has been made.
“It is important to get the first-up run in a prep right and Mystic Journey just tries so hard that we didn’t want to have her gutted running on a rain-affected track.
“We are taking the conservative approach.”
“Adam had planned a campaign to get more spacing between her runs but things have changed now and it is what it is.”
“We can’t run in handicaps as her rating would get her too much weight so we will run her in weight-for-age races.”
Mystic Journey took all before her during the 2019 Autumn Carnival with four undefeated runs and was installed as the 2019 Cox Plate favourite at Ladbrokes.com.au after beating the three year olds in the Group 1 $1m Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington on March 2 and then winning at weight for age in the $5m All-Star Mile (1600m) two weeks later over the same course and distance.
Betting for the Group 1 $5m Ladbrokes Cox Plate (2040m) at The Valley on October 26 has Mystic Journey at the top of the market order at $4.40 ahead of the James Cummings trained Avilius at $6 and Japanese multiple Group 1 winner Almond Eye at $10.
Pre-post betting at Ladbrokes.com.au for the 2019 Cox Plate: $4.40 Mystic Journey, $6 Avilius, $10 Almond Eye, $11 Verry Elleegant, $15 Benbatl, Crystal Ocean, Humidor, Kluger, $17 Deirdre, Ghaiyyath, Indy Champ, Te Akau Shark, $21 Aerolithe, Best Solution, Cheval Grand, Happy Clapper, Homesman, Kiseki, Melody Belle, Prince Fawaz, $26 Blair House, Brutal, Danceteria, He’s Eminent, Johannes Vermeer, Kenedna, Magical, Rekindling, Rostropovich, Zabeel Prince, $31 or better the rest.
