Most New Zealand horses relish rain-affected ground but trainer Bjorn Baker is not convinced that is the case for former Kiwi Bobby Dee.
While the four-year-old is not hopeless in the wet having been placed on a heavy track at Randwick in June, his overall form on tracks rated slow or worse is mixed.
Baker will get a better insight into Bobby Dee’s wet track capabilities when he tackles Saturday’s Bookmaker Recognition Raceday Trophy (2000m) at a rain-affected Rosehill.
“I guess a soft track is a bit of a question mark,” Baker said.
“He has run on soft tracks in New Zealand with mixed levels of success but he is well and I think he should be pretty competitive.
“His work has been excellent and he ran a super race in The Wave.”
A winner three starts back over 1500 metres at Rosehill, Bobby Dee is back in Sydney after a hit-and-run mission to Queensland.
He raced on speed and fought strongly for a close fourth behind A Man To Match at the Gold Coast on January 4 and Hugh Bowman has stuck with him.
Baker is keeping an eye on the weather and track conditions before deciding if his three acceptors for the Mark Merlino Handicap (1200m) take their places.
Drachenfels is proven in the wet but both Tony’s Reward and He’s A Hotshot are queries.
Conditions aside, Baker is happy with the trio and says He’s A Hotshot is overdue for a win having been placed at all three starts this campaign.
“He is in really good form and he’s a super consistent horse. He’s never really out of the hunt and he deserves a Saturday race,” Baker said.
“Tony’s Rewards’ form has been very good. His last run was excellent against some good horses.
“Drachenfels is Drachenfels but with a wet track, who knows? He is rock-hard fit.”
Stablemate Connemara resumes in the Bill Waterhouse Handicap (1200m) and has handy wet track form while Night Of Power runs at Canterbury on Friday night in preference to Rosehill.