There is probably not a better wet-tracker than Polly Grey racing in Australia, so the rain bomb hitting Sydney is working in her favour heading into Saturday’s Angst Stakes at Randwick.
In her 42 starts, Polly Grey has had 11 wins. All have come on soft or heavy tracks, so it is a case of the wetter the better for her, not to mention the shorter the price she will start.
Polly Grey takes out the JRA Plate at Randwick in the autumn on a very heavy track.Credit:Getty
“She’s the right horse to be booked on when this rain is around,” jockey Tommy Berry said. “What do they say — ‘back a grey on a heavy track’ — it is certainly true with Polly Grey.”
Berry has a history with Polly Grey, having won the Gosford Cup last year and the Lord Mayor’s Cup a fortnight later on her in soft going.
The talented staying mare was set to be sold around that time at a Magic Millions sale and Berry remembered getting off her at Gosford.
“I think I said she would be a good buy for someone. They didn’t sell her in the end and she has really gone from strength to strength,” Berry said. “She is the sort of horse who loses nothing when she gets on these sort of tracks and when I saw I was on her I was pretty happy.”
Polly Grey is the $4.60 Angst favourite with good reason. Along with her 11 wet-track victories, she has a second to Zaaki in the Hollindale Stakes on a heavy Gold Coast track and has been effective first-up in the past.
Berry has a group of rides who have shown they will handle a wet track, but given the amount of rain, it is hard to know if they will handle the likely heavy 10 conditions on Saturday.
The key for Berry is to have several changes of gear for his full book of rides.
“You just change a couple of times during the day, just to feel dry and because you need to,” he said. “We know the day will be very hard work, but hopefully there are a few winners there.”
Polly Grey might be Berry’s best chance on the very wet track, but he is most excited about lightly raced four-year-old Waterford in the Silver Eagle. The import has won three of four starts and is unbeaten since arriving in Australia with Berry in the saddle on every occasion.
Tommy Berry knows Sydney’s weather can only enhance the Angst Stakes credentials of Polly Grey.Credit:bradleyphotos.com.au
The unknown factor of Waterford adds to a sense of expectation in the $1 million race on Saturday.
“We don’t know where the bottom with him is yet,” Berry said. “We have deep-ended him a couple of times already and he has been up to the challenge.
“It is another big test for him in the Silver Eagle, and it will tell us if we are just dreaming thinking about the Golden Eagle with him.
“Even though he is four years old to me it is the same feeling when you get on a really good two-year-old because you don’t know where it is going to finish.
“I know one thing with him, he seemed to handle soft ground, even though he is a big horse he got through well last time.”
It is a big step from benchmark company and Waterford probably needs to run in the first three in the Silver Eagle to assure his place in the Golden Eagle.
Earlier in the day, Berry will be out to right a wrong on Kote in the Midway Handicap.
“I have never been on a horse that was pulling past the line because he never got out like he did last start,” Berry said.
“We took a sit on him and that didn’t work, if he led he wins easily.
“He is much better than Midway class, I would say he is a group horse, so it will be good to get him back winning on Saturday because he is only going to get better.”
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