How much rain arrives at Flemington on Saturday will play a major role in whether Tentyris takes his place in a second Group 1 during Melbourne Cup week.
Fresh off a brilliant win in the Coolmore Stud Stakes (1200m) last Saturday, the Anthony and Sam Freedman-trained colt is currently scheduled to back up in the VRC Champions Sprint (1200m).
However, the stable will be monitoring conditions closely, and if the track crosses into the heavy range, Tentyris may be withdrawn. The forecast makes that a real possibility, with the Bureau predicting between 10 and 30mm of rain across Saturday, on top of up to 6mm expected on Friday night.
Sam Freedman said the colt had done everything right since his Coolmore triumph, but the weather remains the key variable.
“He’s had a really smooth week,” Freedman said.
“He’s a tough horse at the peak of his fitness, and I think he’ll have a good race in him on Saturday, but we’re just worried about the rain.
“If it got to heavy, we’d have to have a chat about it.
“If it presents as a Good 4, he’ll be fronting up, but rain would be the only deterrent.”
Tentyris has been kept to light trotting and cantering in the days since his Group 1 win, with the stable focused on maintaining freshness ahead of his first start against open-age sprinters.
“Three-year-old colts that are fit and firing bounce out of their runs well,” Freedman said.
“He’s just ticking over. He’s not going to get any fitter, so we’ve kept him as fresh and happy as we can.”
The race itself could prove tactical, with stablemate Tropicus appearing the likely leader.
“He likes something in front of him, something to chase, and he’ll generally run them down,” Freedman said.
Craig Williams takes the ride on Tentyris at just 53.5kg, with Mark Zahra committed to Giga Kick.
Freedman added that conditions are unlikely to trouble Tropicus if the rain does fall.
“He’s super,” Freedman said.
“He wouldn’t mind a bit of rain, and if it does come, he’ll give a sight in front for sure.”
If you’re having a bet in the Champions Sprint, compare bookies using the Australian betting sites list.
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