Cavanough pleads for rain for The Monstar

Brett Cavanough has renewed his plea for summer rain to enhance The Monstar’s chances of winning back-to-back Razor Sharp Handicap’s when racing returns to Randwick.

The seven-year-old gelding has won three times on good tracks but the preference is for the 43-race veteran to run when the sting is out of the ground.

Cavanough pulled The Monstar from the Listed Starlight Stakes at Rosehill on December 2 when not enough rain failed to materialise before the meeting and he is again prepared to scratch this weekend.

“I see there’s a few mills forecast, we’ll keep and eye on the weather and with Randwick being a bit close to the coast it might be more forgiving than Rosehill,” he said.

The Scone-based trainer would also consult with Randwick racecourse manager Nevesh Ramdhani, who is preparing the track for its first meeting since October 28.

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“I’ll find out what’s he’s doing to it. If there’s good grass cover and it’s not a road he still might go,” he said.

The Monstar has not raced since a last-start third in the Group Two Multiplier Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on November 4 – on a good track – and Cavanough says the sprinter is primed for a strong performance.

The Monstar won last year’s Listed Razor Sharp (1200m) on a soft track and had one more run before a spell that preceded this consistent preparation.

He resumed in Brisbane in May and has only placed outside the top four once in nine starts.

“He’s been in a long time and he’s pretty much ready to go, we just need things in our favour,” Cavanough said.