A change in travel plans hasn’t affected Rubick’s preparation in the lead up to the Group 1 $1m Sportingbet Blue Diamond Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield on February 22.
Rubick will travel to Melbourne after the weekend when the weather cools. Photo by Steve Hart.
Trainer Gerald Ryan has put off floating the Blue Diamond Stakes favourite from his Rosehill base to Melbourne because of the impending heat that is expected to engulf the southern capital again this weekend.
Ryan had planned to send the Encosta De Lago colt south at the end of this week but will continue to prepare him at Rosehill until early next week when the Melbourne temperatures start to drop.
Southern Australian is heading into its second heat wave in the last three weeks with temperatures tipped to soar above the forty degree mark again on Sunday before the cool change moves in after the weekend.
Ryan has already introduced Rubick to working the Melbourne way of going on the training tracks and will continue to do so before he departs.
“He worked the reverse way over half a mile (800m) and I timed him at 55.2seconds with his last 400 in 25.25,” Ryan told AAP.
“He has worked the reverse way several times and has had no problems.
“He will have another gallop on Monday or Tuesday and then we will send him to Melbourne.
“I kept him here because it’s been so hot in Melbourne but it’s also been pretty hot here.
“He will travel overnight when it’s a lot cooler so he should be OK.”
Ryan has planned to run Rubick in the Saturday week’s Group 3 $150,000 Sportingbet Blue Diamond Prelude (C&G) (1100m) at Caulfield as a lead up to the Blue Diamond Stakes two weeks later.
Rubick was immediately installed the favourite for the Blue Diamond Stakes and also the Group 1 $3.5m Tooheys New Golden Slipper (1200m) at Rosehill on April 5 after living up to his pre-race wrap in winning the $85,000 TAB iphone App Plate (1000m) at Randwick on January 25 on debut by two and three quarter lengths.
In Blue Diamond Stakes markets Rubick ($3) displaced the Peter Snowden trained filly Earthquake ($4) as favourite while in Golden Slipper betting the Gerald Ryan trained colt has been marked at $4.40 ahead of Earthquake at $5.50.
