Cellsabeel Still Dominant Millennium Pick

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Cellsabeel

As the only runner with exposure to a heavy track, the and David Eustace-trained Cellsabeel remains a prohibitive favourite for the $2 million Inglis Millennium.

But whether the $1.50 top pick lines up remains to be seen.

The meeting is in some doubt because of heavy rain in Sydney and while the track has passed a Friday inspection by Racing NSW stewards, a further assessment on race morning will determine its fate.

Cellsabeel was a six-length winner on a heavy surface last start and “cruised” through the mud, according to jockey .

But he admitted connections faced a if the rain continued.

A testing run on a heavily rain-affected track could take the wind out of her sails for the autumn and the Millennium prize money does not count towards qualification.

“She felt like she was dead-set on a good track that day, the way she dragged herself through the middle of them on the corner and put them away effortlessly,” Berry said of her last-start win.

“She was just explosive on it so the wet track is definitely not going to hurt her.

“But whether the team want to run her if it's a bottomless track when she's got to probably run two weeks later in the to get into the Golden Slipper, whether you want to have that gut-busting run in between I'm not sure.

“But if she does line up she is going to take a lot of beating.”

The Maher/Eustace stable indicated it was keeping an open mind and would continue to monitor and track conditions.

Berry reunites with the Peter and Paul Snowden-trained Strasbourg in the $1 million -3YOs (1200m) and says the colt has returned in great order.

“They tried to stretch him out in trip a bit last time and he just struggled to run it, he was going too keen in his races,” Berry said.

“I think Pete is treating him more like a sprinter this prep. His trial was really impressive. We got him to switch off at the back of the field and he came with a nice strong run late and he's a horse that handles soft ground.”

He is less certain how exciting sprinter will cope with the conditions in the Eskimo Prince Stakes (1200m).

The Sepoy three-year-old has never raced on ground worse than a soft 5 but Berry could not have been more impressed by his winning return last month.

“Sepoys are a bit hit and miss on wet tracks,” Berry said.

“But he was explosive first-up and I felt like he had plenty of improvement out of that run.”

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