Dean Binaisse spent the winters of 2013 & 2014 with a team of dry trackers and now in 2015 he has a large contingent of his 3yo’s crying out for a wet track. And he can’t find one.
EQUINOVA was a dominant winner at Moonee Valley back in July on a Heavy 8 surface, giving Dean plenty of confidence he had an early spring 3yo on his hands. Two unplaced runs later and the chestnut gelding was scratched from Saturday’s Group 3 McNiel Stakes at Caulfield with Dean fearful the sprinting son of Equiano would feel the firmer going after jarring up in the Vain Stakes a fortnight earlier. Dean now has to play the waiting game for the next 48 hours as he watches the Bureau of Metrologies latest forecast leading in to Wednesday’s Sandown meeting.
‘With the rain forecast early in the week we bypassed the firmer going at Caulfield on Saturday in preference for Sandown on Wednesday, however now they’re telling us the rain won’t come until after the meeting. I hope they’re wrong’ Said Dean from his 888 Racing base in Mornington.
‘This horse is a superior wet tracker and can match it with the better 3yo’s on the soft going, however we just can’t find a Heavy track since we won at Moonee Valley three starts back’.
‘The synthetic and poly track meeting don’t help and the new metro surfaces just drain so quickly’.
Equinova has drawn barrier 11 on Wednesday with young Jake Bayliss to claim 3kg in what looks a very handy 3yo event.
Another quality 3yo from the stable is FOR A SONG, a dominant maiden winner at Moe last start. The daughter of Gonski cost Dean just $1500 and she has already returned connections over $42,000 in just six starts. She was competitive at mid week city grade two starts ago and after a dominant win last start, knocking off the $1.4 favourite in the process, this big striding filly has been nominated for Saturday’s Atlantic Jewel Stakes at Moonee Valley.
‘She (For a Song) is another proven wet tracker, so with the rain now coming Wednesday night in to Thursday we thought we’d take a nom for Moonee Valley and throw her in the deep end if conditions suit’
‘If not we’ll go to 64 grade somewhere on a wet track and be confident she can make it two in a row’.
Other stable runners Miss Morgana and Russian Ruby also look ready to head to races over the next 7-10 days and with even luck they’ll be close to breaking their respective maiden tags.