By Chris Roots
Most Sydneysiders are sick of the sight of rain but Hawkesbury trainer Jason Attard would like it to stick around for just one more week.
He has looked at the forecast for the next week, hoping wet-tracker Kellyville Flyer might get a soft track for Saturday's Hawkesbury Cup.
Home track advantage: Hawkesbury trainer Jason Attard with Sons Of John, a previous winner of the Hawkesbury Cup.Credit: Brendan Esposito
Attard would love to add another cup on his home track to the one Sons Of John won a couple of years ago and knows his best hope with last start Randwick winner Kellyville Flyer would be if the track is wet.
"You saw at Randwick that the wetter the better for her," Attard said. "The plan was always that Randwick race into the cup and we thought the way the weather has been we might strike two wet tracks, which would have been perfect.
"Looking at the nominations she is going to get in with 53kg and on soft ground she would be very hard to toss.
"Unfortunately it doesn't look good for us, but the forecast is great for the club. If the track is hard we might not even run her because there would be another day for her in the winter.
"I'm also toying with the idea of running Reiby The Red in the cup if he gets a start. He is a very good miler first-up and being on his home track it would be worth giving him a chance."
The Hawkesbury standalone meeting has become part of the racing calendar and Attard always targets the day.
The track being on the improve would be a better sign for Reiby Rampart, which will target the Darley Crown after being well beaten in the Provincial Championships Final last start.
She had won twice and run third in the Provincial Championships qualifier at Hawkesbury before that failure this preparation.
"It is our home track, so you want to have as many runners as possible and she has been going really well," Attard said. "It is probably throwing her in the deep end but until the Championship Final she has been in the best form of her career."
Attard couldn't find a suitable race for Sons Of John at the standalone meet, so will wait a week for the Lord Mayor's Cup over 2000 metres at Rosehill. He returned to form as runner-up in the JRA Plate at Randwick and could head to Brisbane.
"He needs that 2000m now, it is worth waiting for the right race with him. He is going well and we might look to get a couple more runs out of him," Attard said.