Weather watch for Livamol Classic
From punters to trainers to officials – participants in Hawke’s Bay’s Group I race meeting on Saturday are holding their breath and crossing their fingers.
Heavy rain was forecast for the province this week but it appears to have skirted around the track and from a Slow 8 reading on Wednesday morning the surface should improve before race day.
If the worst of the weather has passed, prayers of participants will have been answered and the meeting will go ahead without too many concerns.
Patrick Campbell, who has trained at Hastings for longer than most, thinks ‘‘it is probably harder to pick what the weather will do right now, than it will be to back a winner on Saturday’’.
‘‘It’s hard to guess what the track is going to be like,’’ he said yesterday. ‘‘Everyone’s guessing.
‘‘Looking at the sky right now it looks better than this time yesterday.’’ Just 2mms of rain hit the track overnight.
‘‘If we got no more rain I think the track could come back to a Dead 6 – it’s a tricky one, as we speak the winds come up and that will help with drying.
‘‘To me, the way I read it is that if the heavy rain was going to come it would have arrived by now.’’
Campbell has four runners at Saturday’s meeting featuring the return of black-type mare Goodsav.
As a 3-year-old last season, she raced nine times for two wins and three placings her highlight being a second in the Group III Cuddle Stakes (1600m) to Saturday’s Livamol favourite Rasa Lila.
The Savabeel mare won freshup last season in a Woodville 1200m maiden and kicks-off over the same distance on Saturday.
‘‘She’s been in work a fair while and I expect her to go a good race,’’ Campbell said. ‘‘Physically she hasn’t developed a lot but that’s just her.
‘‘She does need things to go her way but has a good jockey in Mark Du Plessis aboard.’’ Campbell’s also lines-up In Another Life, Hoskins and Hunta Pence on Saturday, expecting them all to need their outings.
Hawke’s Bay Racing’s manager Andrew Castle has been keeping a weather eye out.
‘‘We will have a better idea this time tomorrow [Thursday],’’ he said. ‘‘I’m picking a track just into the slow range for Saturday.’’
Favourites in the Livamol Classic (2040m) generally fared well when the barrier draw was made on Wednesday.
Favourite Rasa Lila drew gate four giving jockey Leith Innes the opportunity to gain an economical trip and become the first to ride the triple crown.
Innes won the first two legs aboard Kawi and had the good fortune to pick up the Rasa Lila ride when Kawi’s connections chose to miss the Livamol.
Humidor has drawn gate 10 for rider Mark Du Plessis, Willie Cazals gate 12 and Mime badly off with the outside gate.
One of the day’s highlights will be the clash of unbeaten 3-yearolds Heroic Valour and Ugo Foscolo in the Group II Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m). Ugo Foscolo has been blessed with gate two and Heroic Valour gate five.
Kawi faces a formidable test if the weight-for-age star makes one more appearance before chasing two massive paydays in Perth, reports NZ Racing Desk.
He has been set for the $A1 million Railway Stakes (1600m) on November 19 and a return to Ascot a fortnight later for the $A1 million Kingston Town Classic (1800m).
‘‘He could have a run on October 29 at the Feilding meeting at Awapuni in the Redcraze Bowl,’’ trainer Allan Sharrock said.
Kawi won the race last year with apprentice Dylan Mo’s 3kg claim reducing his impost to 59kg.
‘‘They’ve told me that he’ll be allotted the phenomenal weight of 67.5kg, which even with the claim of Alfred (Chan) means he’ll have to carry 64.5kg,’’ Sharrock said. ‘‘He has won five Group Ones but even so.
‘‘If I think the weight is far too much then I could trial him, but I’m trying to get him ready for million dollar races and can’t do that on a trial?’’
Kawi’s record stands at 13 wins from 26 starts for earnings more than $945,000.
‘‘After he won both the Group Ones at Hastings I found out the Wellington and New Zealand Cups are now going to be worth more than both of them. I’m gutted and that’s why we don’t keep the good horses here,’’ Sharrock said.
‘‘He’s won five Group Ones and he hasn’t cracked a million yet, it’s unbelievable.’’