3 minute read

The weather will determine whether Barb Raider takes her place in the Easter Cup at Sandown.

Trainer Jerome Hunter will keep a watchful eye on the weather fearing a wet track will keep Barb Raider at home. 

Barb Raider is schedule to start in the Group 3 Easter Cup (2100m) at Sandown on Saturday, but rain is expected on Friday and Saturday. 

Hunter does not want to start Barb Raider on wet ground, and if she does miss the Easter Cup it will put an end to plans to start the mare in the Listed Mornington Cup (2400m) on April 22. 

"If there is too much rain, I won't be running her," Hunter said. 

"We've tried her a couple of times and her worst runs have been on rain-affected tracks." 

Barb Raider has had three runs this campaign, finishing third second-up in the Group 3 Matron Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on March 11 before running fourth to Sirileo Miss in the Group 2 Sunline Stakes (1600m) at Moonee Valley on March 24. 

Hunter said in another couple of strides, Barb Raider finishes second at Moonee Valley, so hard was she running on. 

"She's going fantastic," Hunter said. 

"At Moonee Valley, the track was a Soft 5, but it was chopped up and Blake Shinn said she was just paddling in it. 

"She couldn't get going until she was in a straight line where it was better footing." 

Hunter said he has a back-up plan should Barb Raider be forced to miss Saturday and in-turn the Mornington Cup. 

"There's a race at Flemington on Anzac Day and then she will be heading up north on a path, hopefully towards the Doomben Cup and then onto Eagle Farm," Hunter said. 

"So, if she misses Saturday, it won't worry me, and she loves Flemington. 

"Either way, we'll make sure she's 100 per cent as we don't want to flatten her and have her losing her confidence racing on a wet ground."