By MIKE DILLON
There have been a couple of occasions in Chris Wood's life when he had a desperate wish.
One of them was for a couple of stirrup irons when, as a jumps jockey, he rode Aulada bareback for a couple of rounds before being just beaten in the Great Northern Steeplechase.
But the Kaapstad Way trainer would flag all those earlier wishes for clear skies in Melbourne today and tomorrow for the $A2 million Caulfield Cup.
A year's planning will fly out the window if the predicted showers continue in Melbourne today.
Kaapstad Way is one of the Southern Hemisphere's finest stayers on a dry track and one of the worst when it's wet.
Horse trainers are fatalists, but Wood couldn't hide his disappointment at the midweek rain.
"He's had a faultless preparation for this race, but the moisture will bring us undone if it continues," said the Cambridge trainer, wistfully.
Some bookmakers agree. One leading bookie dropped Kaapstad Way from equal favourite to 7-1 third favourite.
The No 2 barrier draw is probably a fraction too close to the inside running rail for comfort in a Caulfield Cup.
While he will miss the traditional rush to the first bend to try to get close to the inside rail, rider Nash Rawiller will have to avoid being trapped on the rail.
Kaapstad Way is the horse to beat on a decent surface. His lead-up form is superb and the drop in weight and increase in distance puts him in with a great chance.
The prospects of a New Zealand victory look huge. King Keitel, Ethereal, and Hill Of Grace are a strong trio to back up Kaapstad Way. The biggest danger is the Gai Waterhouse-trained joint favourite, Primrose Sands.
The chance of a New Zealand jockey's riding the winner ended yesterday when Asia was scratched. The mare was to have been ridden by Michael Walker.
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