Randwick is in the lap of the weather gods ahead of The Everest, with forecasts suggesting up to 50mm of rain could fall in Sydney before Saturday’s $20 million feature.
Course manager Michael Wood hasn’t put a drop of water on the track since Epsom Day, with the long-range forecast having consistently pointed towards a wet Everest week.
The long-term forecast always suggested rain this week, with up to 15mm predicted to come on Tuesday as a cool change sweeps through Sydney.
But Randwick is “in the lap of the weather gods” heading into Saturday, when the rail will be out three metres
“We have had rain since the Epsom, but other than that we haven’t had to water,” Wood said. “We knew a long way out that we would get rain this week and it starts on Tuesday.
“The track would be rated good at the moment. We verti-drained before the Epsom meeting, so it will be able to cope with a fair bit of rain.
“We’ve got three different models at the moment for what we will get later in the week, but it looks like a bit is coming on Friday into Saturday.
“But I’m confident it will drain to its maximum potential
“The forecast will firm up around Wednesday, and we are in the lap of the weather gods, much we get.”
The Sydney forecast for the week suggests up to 50mm of rain leading into Saturday, but it could hit north of Randwick.
Ka Ying Rising trainer David Hayes addressed the wet track issue after his superstar worked in front of the press at Canterbury on Monday.
“The Hong Kong wet track is a bit different to the Australian wet track,” Hayes said. “The grass is a bit tighter in Hong Kong, and he has a daisy-cutting action.
“I know Zac [Purton] has a query on an Aussie ‘wet’, I don’t. I’m not worried.
“I think the other day Zac thought he laboured a little bit in the trial but I think that was fitness and having a good look around, not being asked, not being pushed, and it was his first hit-out in five weeks.
“Also, I remember when I bought this horse I saw him a win a trial on heavy ground in Australia. It was only a trial but he looked pretty good, so I bought him.
“The way I read Saturday is we probably need to have a bad day and they need to have a very good day to beat him.”
Ka Ying Rising remains a dominant $1.35 favourite to retain his Everest crown.
