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The weather and track conditions will have the final say in whether the locally-trained Ausbred Flirt - equal favourite at $5.50 with TAB Fixed Odds for the Blakes Marine Benchmark 78 Handicap as at Thursday - runs at the Hawkesbury Gold Cup day meeting on Saturday.
Trainer Brad Widdup said he would be reluctant to run the mare on a Soft 7 or worse if it was also raining or threatening to rain on Saturday morning.
"It was wet and miserable at Hawkesbury this morning. Not raining heavy, but just hanging around,'' Widdup said.
"I'll have to keep an eye on that between now and Saturday."
Ausbred Flirt won on a Soft 7 over 1400 metres in a Fillies and Mares Benchmark 72 at Warwick Farm at her last start on April 10.
"The other day at Warwick Farm was probably as bad as I'd run her in and she won all right there," Widdup said.
"There was no rain there on the day, which obviously helped.
"If it's a Soft 7 on Saturday but a nice day with no threat of rain and the track might even improve a little, we'd probably run. But if it's a Soft 7 and raining in the morning, or it's likely to rain, we'd probably scratch."
Hawkesbury was rated a Soft 5 early on Thursday afternoon and there are forecasts for better weather on Friday and Saturday.
Widdup is mindful of giving the four-year-old every chance of handling the challenge of a step up in distance to 1800 metres.
Ausbred Flirt has not previously raced over further than 1600 metres, but has a win and a second at her only two starts over the metric mile.
"Ausbred Flirt, we've learnt she just doesn't perform in the really soft going," he said.
"We've tried her enough to sort of say she won't. The owner was keen to see if she can get out to a bit further than the mile and run her in the 1800-metre race.
"She definitely runs a mile. She seems to be strong through the line and everything like that at the end of 1600. Time will tell about the 1800. If she can run the distance, it looks a nice for her."
Ausbred Flirt is also in the last race of the day, the Clarendon Tavern Benchmark 88 Handicap over 1500 metres, but she is the third emergency and there are no scratchings as yet so there is not much point considering that as alternative race at this stage.
"If we get the softer conditions and a few come out of that race we might be better off running at 1500," he said.
"But you can't think seriously about if at this stage."
Another of Widdup's horses, Short Shorts, is the first emergency for one of the feature races, the Pioneer Services Hawkesbury Crown over 1300 metres, and he regards her as a good chance if she can get a run.
"Home track, which she likes," he said. "Be nice to get a crack at the race. I just wouldn't want to run her if it's heavy."
Widdup said Authentic Jewel was likely to be scratched from The Lawn Shed Benchmark 78 Handicap over 1100 metres after drawing very wide.
