Menari to handle wet if Randwick is on

Trainer Gerald Ryan has no qualms about running Menari on a wet Randwick track but will send him to Canberra if the Sydney meeting is moved.

After days of rain, Randwick was rated a heavy 9 on Friday with stewards to inspect the track at 6am on Saturday.

Ryan has accepted with Menari and Chauffeur in Sunday’s Black Opal Stakes in Canberra with the intention to split the pair of Golden Slipper contenders.

“The preference is to run Menari in the Todman Stakes on Saturday and Chauffeur in the Black Opal,” Ryan said.

“But if they decide to move the Randwick meeting to Monday or another day then they will both run in Canberra.

“Menari showed in his barrier trial how well he handled the wet track so there’s no problem if Randwick goes ahead.”

The colt is favourite for both this weekend’s two-year-old races and is on the second line of betting for the Golden Slipper at $8 alongside Houtzen who runs at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Menari missed a scheduled start in the Skyline Stakes last Saturday with a cut lip which needed stitches.

He showed no ill effects from the incident with a 5-1/2 length win in a barrier trial on Monday on a heavy track at Rosehill.

The $2.80 Golden Slipper favourite, She Will Reign, will have her lead-up in the Reisling Stakes at Randwick and is not entered for the Canberra meeting.

Godolphin colt Trekking will however head to the Black Opal because of the wet Sydney track, leaving Veranillo as the stable’s runner in the Todman.

The Ryan-trained Trapeze Artist is a likely Black Opal scratching after drawing the second-widest barrier.