Snowden watching weather with Capitalist

Trainer Peter Snowden is on weather watch ahead of the Manikato Stakes, forewarning Capitalist will not start if the track is rain-affected.

But Moonee Valley track manager Marty Synan said on Thursday he was expecting the surface to remain in the good range for Friday night’s Group One meeting.

Snowden said he was concerned about the forecast of rain and if the surface was slow or heavy, the Golden Slipper winner was unlikely to run.

“His form is all on good tracks,” Snowden said.

“He showed first-up this time in that he doesn’t appreciate soft ground, so for him to bring out his best game, and he needs to in that sort of race that he’s in tomorrow night, he needs a good track.”

Capitalist has had two gallops at the track in preparation for the weight-for-age sprint.

Although the colt has had his colours lowered in his two starts this spring, Snowden is confident the sprinter is going well.

Three-year-olds Extreme Choice and Star Turn have already beaten the older horses at weight-for-age in Melbourne this spring.

“I just think it’s just the right race for him,” Snowden said.

“All the way along we looked at the Manikato and the Coolmore and only being a week apart we had to choose one over the other. And we just thought the Manikato might be the right option.

“I’m happy with him. He’s drawn a good gate and if he gets good footing I’m sure he’ll run well.”

If the track is downgraded, Snowden said they had the option to wait for the Coolmore Stud Stakes a week later.

Synan said the track was a good (4) early on Thursday afternoon.

“We put five mils of irrigation on last night knowing it was going to be a windy day today,” Synan said.

“So naturally it would be around the Good (3) range tonight, I reckon, with this wind.

“There’s rain forecast tomorrow morning, they say between 10 and 15 mil between 11 and 2 o’clock. So that will probably just put it back into the Good (4) range.”