SDRA Country Championships Qualifier favourite News Girl will be scratched from the $150,000 feature due to a wide draw.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Corowa trainer Geoff Duryea said a potentially tough decision was made for him after News Girl was handed barrier 18 for the country feature.
After scratchings, News Girl was likely to start from barrier 15 in the field of 16 but connections will turn their focus to another group race at Caulfield instead.
News Girl will contest the group three $160,000 Mannerism Stakes (1400m) for mares at Caulfield on Saturday and look to go one better than her last-start second placing behind Sylvia's Mother.
Duryea said it was not a difficult decision in the end.
"Not from 18, we'll go to Caulfield," Duryea said.
"It's a bloody shame. I really wanted to go to Albury and run her in our area. They gave her a rating of 95 so there will be nothing else she can run in around here."
Duryea believes there would have been little to gain from starting from the wide gate in a big field at Albury.
"All you're doing is setting yourself up for a beating," he said.
"You can bet your life they will all kick up on her inside to keep her out and then you've got something with less ability sitting second, third on the fence.
"It was a good race for her, a good weight...but I don't choose the barriers."
The scratching of News Girl opens up the SDRA Country Championships Qualifier with the Corowa mare expected to open up a short-priced favourite.
It also presents a start to the first emergency, the Scott Spackman-trained Jaytee's The Fox.
Duryea is now looking forward to another trip to Caulfield, where News Girl is $4.80 second favourite with TAB and Craig Williams is booked to ride from barrier 10.
"There doesn't look a real lot of speed in at Melbourne," he said.
"She should be able to get across at Caulfield. There is already one out and running at Moonee Valley on Friday night instead. If one more happens to come out, then you've got a field of eight runners and it's not as bad (drawn the outside)."
READ MORE
