Racing
Pride playing it Cool with Randwick quartet
A pair of geldings with outstanding wet track credentials will spearhead Joe Pride’s Randwick team.
The extreme conditions expected at Randwick hold no fears for trainer Joe Pride, whose four runners are all proven on heavy tracks.
The course proper was rated a heavy 9 on Thursday afternoon but with fine weather forecast for race day, the Australian Turf Club's assistant track manager Jake Carlaw said the meeting was expected to go ahead.
"We'll be ready for racing, albeit in the heavy range," Carlaw said.
That is good news for Pride, whose quartet of runners is led by wet track specialist Cool Jakey.
The five-year-old has won four of his seven starts in heavy conditions and is coming off a last start success over 1400m at Hawksbury in the mud.
The trainer's only reservation is the 1600m of Saturday's The Charity Challenge Handicap, the distance unchartered territory for Cool Jakey.
"He loves a wet track. The mile is the test," Pride said.
"We will see if he can run a mile on Saturday. We had to try it at some point. He raced last start like he would run it and he's an absolute swimmer."
Storm The Ramparts is also adept in rain-affected ground with a win and two placings from his three starts in the heavy.
While he hasn't won for 17 months, he is rarely far away and Pride expects him to run his usual competitive race.
"He will be hard to beat. He makes his own luck, gets up on speed," he said.
"He doesn't win very often but he rarely misses a place."
Testator Silens in the Taylor Construction Handicap (1000m) and Excelladus in the Magnolia Lane Financial Services Handicap (1400m) round out Pride's Sydney team.
Both have won in heavy conditions, albeit they each need to lump significant weights in their respective assignments.
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