Blood will run after tense day

A LAST-minute gesture from the Melbourne Racing Club was enough for Alligator Blood’s owner Allan Endresz to stop him scratching the star from today’s All-Star Mile at Caulfield.

Furious Endresz threatened to withdraw the $2.80 favourite yesterday when it became apparent there would be a lockout at the meeting due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Endresz was irate his wife, Joy, could not watch the horse run and said he favoured scratching him.

He said as Joy had terminal cancer she should have preference to go to watch Alligator Blood run.

Endresz met the other syndicate owners at 4.30pm and it was only an offer from the MRC to set aside a room for 80 people at the Glasshouse function room at the Caulfield Tabaret, adjacent to the racetrack, that swayed him to run the star.

“Racing Victoria and the Melbourne Racing Club have given Joy a big lift with their offer of setting aside a room so she can be with family and friends,” Endresz said.

“It’s been a very tense afternoon. We’ve had meetings and a lockdown with the owners.

“The great news is RV and the MRC have given Joy a big lift as they’ve provided us with a venue for the 80 family and friends.

“He looks a treat and I’m predicting dominance.”

MRC chief executive Josh Blanksby said on SEN that the club had reached out to Endresz with that offer.

“We’re lucky enough to have a pub on course with a function room so we offered that to Allan and his family and friends,” Blanksby said.