Carrington start pending for Crack Me Up
Crack Me Up won the Villiers Stakes at Randwick in 2017.
A decision whether Carrington Stakes topweight Crack Me Up runs at Randwick or the Sunshine Coast has yet to be made.
The 2017 Villiers Stakes winner has had two starts after being sidelined for 12 months, including a close fifth in the Group Three George Moore Stakes, finishing less than half a length from the winner Chapter And Verse, and sixth in the Magic Millions Cup won by Vega One.
Trained by Liam Birchley to win the Villiers at Randwick and the Group Three Liverpool City Cup, the six-year-old is now in the care of Toby and Trent Edmonds at the Gold Coast.
He has 59.5kg in the Listed Carrington Stakes (1400m) and 60kg in the Sunshine Coast Listed feature over the same distance.
“We will have a good look at both fields and decide on Thursday. If he does go to Sydney it will be on Thursday night,” Toby Edmonds said.
The Clare Cunningham-trained Cradle Mountain is an acceptor in three races: the Carrington, the Group Two Australia Stakes at The Valley on Friday night and the Listed John Dillon Stakes at Caulfield on Saturday.
The frontrunning gelding had a disappointing return when last of seven runners behind Southern Lad over 1200m at Randwick on January 11 when he raced midfield.
The John O’Shea-trained Southern Lad is the TAB’s $2.70 favourite for the Carrington with Crack Me Up at $10 and Cradle Mountain $21.