STABLE GIVES EGG TART THUMBS UP
THE Chris Waller stable is confident Egg Tart will take her place in Saturday’s $1 million Epsom, despite stewards revealing she wouldn’t have been cleared to start had the race been run yesterday.
Egg Tart has developed an irritation to her near side eye since her first-up second in this month’s Theo Marks Stakes.
Racing NSW vet Craig Suann inspected Egg Tart yesterday and found the mare’s eye to be quite painful and in a condition whereby she would not have run if the Epsom was on yesterday.
Egg Tart will be monitored daily in the leadup to the Epsom but Waller’s racing manager Charlie Duckworth is upbeat she will be right to go at Randwick.
“I will be amazed if Craig Suann found reason for her to be scratched,” Duckworth said.
“Eyes are very sensitive but with them being very sensitive it also means they are incredibly quick to heal.
“We have another 96 hours between now and the race and I’m sure it won’t be an issue at all. If it had been we wouldn’t have been accepting.
“If we didn’t have to notify the stewards and it wasn’t a Group 1 then she would probably go around on Saturday and everyone would be none the wiser.
“But we are just doing the right thing and letting everyone know exactly where we stand and she should go around from a gun barrier with a very good jockey on board.”
Duckworth said Egg Tart had not missed any work because of the condition.
Egg Tart is a $6 second favourite after drawing barrier one yesterday.
Favourite Happy Clapper firmed from $4 into $3 after drawing barrier four.