Trainer Dean Krongold is banking on a dry start to the Warrnambool carnival in a bid to run Man Of His Word in the feature sprint race.
The Warrnambool carnival can be notoriously wet, something Krongold is keen to avoid with Man Of His Word who is down to run in Wednesday’s Listed Wangoom Handicap with Harry Coffey to ride.
A soft rated track, as it was for Tuesday‘s opening day, will not pose a problem for Man Of His Word, but rain may cause Krongold to rethink starting him.
“He handles the soft but not the heavy so we want to see what the weather‘s doing before making a final call,” Krongold said.
“The horse is well and we freshened him up and he’s going well, so we thought we’d have a crack but if it’s not to be, it’s not to be.”
Man Of His Word contested the inaugural running of the $5 million All-Star Mile at Flemington in March, finishing 12th behind Mystic Journey, before running 10th at Bendigo two weeks later.
Krongold set about freshening Man Of His Word for Wednesday’s race and was pleased with the gelding’s trial victory at Cranbourne on April 23.
“The owners all had a great time in the lead-up to the All Star Mile,” Krongold said.
“It was such a big event and we embraced it all, but the horse’s performance, it was probably a bit disappointing, but what more could you expect against that quality field.
“Since his Bendigo run he had a week out, he’s had the trial at Cranbourne and trialled well against Terbium who’s a pretty smart horse.
“We’ve kept him at the beach since and I think he’s going well enough.”
Should the weather turn, Krongold has a back-up plan for Man Of His Word, nominating him for Saturday’s D C McKay Stakes at Morphettville and a benchmark 84 handicap over 1200m at Flemington.
“If we don’t run we’ll probably run at Flemington,” Krongold said.
“The Irwin doesn’t look a bad race for him, but going back to the 1100 metres, they might be a bit sharp for him.”