Big Kate ridden by Adam McCabe wins the Congratulations Matt and Sharon Maiden Plate at Yarra Valley Racecourse on February 10, 2024 in Yarra Glen, Australia. (Photo by Jay Town/Racing Photos)
Cranbourne trainer Daniel Williams will keep a watch on pending withdrawals at Sandown before making a definite answer on where to start Big Kate.
The three-year-old daughter of Tosen Stardom is down to run in the LockettLED.au Handicap (1600m) on Wednesday but also holds a nomination for 1400m contest at Flemington on Saturday.
Williams has a further back-up plan of another benchmark 64 grade race at Sandown on Wednesday week.
Rain on Monday has seen the Sandown surface posted as a Heavy 9 and Williams is in two minds whether to start the filly, mindful the three-year-old is yet to race on affected ground.
“I’m 50-50 whether to run on a heavy first-up,” Williams said.
“The ideal distance to start her off is 1400 metres, and that is why I’m shying away from a slog at Sandown, but if the field drops away and where they might muddle along, then Wednesday’s race become a bit more appealing.
“And she’s untried on heavy, or anything softer than good.
“There’s a (benchmark) 64 the following Wednesday at Sandown while at Flemington, you know you’re going to get some sort of decent surface.
“But you don’t know with the weather. It is getting close to the end of the season, and being a three-year-old filly, that plays into it a bit as well.”
Big Kate has faced the starter on three occasions, winning on debut at Yarra Valley over 1500m in February, while at her last start before a break the filly finished third on the inner track at Caulfield.
“The maiden win was great and then she had excuses at Pakenham when in the wrong part of the track and then she had just come to the end of it at Caulfield last time,” Williams said.
“But the winner (Sea What I See) and the second horse (Nursery Chime) are pretty handy and looking at all of that, you can consider her a city class prospect for sure.”
While Big Kate is yet to see a wet track on race day, Williams said the filly had done plenty of work on soft ground.
But he also warned that focussing on her trackwork was not always a positive.
“She’s the kind of horse that doesn’t trackwork well,” Williams said.
“She’s a laid-back type, but the blinkers go on race day, and she finds a bit more then.”