Gollan on weather watch with Jonker
The rain in Sydney has already claimed one high-profile casualty from the Golden Slipper meeting with Arcadia Queen scratched due to the wet track.
Owner Bob Peters made an early call to withdraw the star mare from the Group One George Ryder Stakes and is expected to save her for Tancred Stakes day a week later.
Queensland trainer Tony Gollan, who won the Group One Coolmore Classic with Krone last Saturday, is still hedging his bets with rejuvenated sprinter Jonker as he weighs up whether to run him in The Galaxy (11000m) on a rain-affected track.
The five-year-old managed just three minor placings from eight starts on slow and heavy ground for former trainer David Atkins and Gollan admits he is in two-minds about whether Jonker should take his place.
While loathe to do anything that might dent Jonker’s newfound confidence levels, Gollan has been particularly happy with the horse’s build up and says he will research his wet track performances and monitor the weather before making a final decision.
“I’m just going to think about it as we get closer to the race, if indeed we get to the race,” Gollan said.
“My main aim with him is the Doomben 10,000 so if I was to run him and it wasn’t to work out, it wouldn’t be the end of the world.
“I’d bring him home and set him for the Doomben 10,000 fresh-up and you saw what he did fresh-up in the summer when he ran a track record at Doomben.”