Caulfield may be too hard for Americain - Sky News Australia

Americain, the 2010 Melbourne Cup winner, could be a shock scratching from Saturday's $2.5 million Caulfield Cup if the track is too firm.

Stephanie Nigge, the track rider and handler for the French-trained galloper, told Melbourne racing radio station RSN on Thursday morning that the top weight would not be risked if the track was too hard.

'If it is not soft enough we might not run him, why take the risk?' she said.

The issue of tracks being prepared to favour the European runners has long been an issue during the Melbourne spring carnival with Irish pair Dermot Weld and Aidan O'Brien having criticised our major racecourses as having been too firm.

Yet there are a host of local gallopers such as Alcopop, Zabeelionaire and December Draw that would clearly prefer a dry surface.

Nigge, who insisted she is more concerned with the welfare of Americain rather than getting a track tailored to suit the horse's preferred conditions, said she was hoping the track would come up a Dead 4 on Saturday.

However it was a Good 3 for Wednesday's Thousand Guineas meeting and with fine weather forecast in Melbourne for both Thursday, Friday and Caulfield Cup day itself, the track is expected to be firm come Saturday.

Caulfield track manager Jason Kerr plans to water the track during the week with the aim of producing a Dead 4 rated track at the start of the meeting but admits an upgrade to a Good 3 is likely early in the program.

And with Caulfield Cup not being run until 4.05pm - race eight on the 10-race program - the track will almost certainly be at best a Good 3 by the time the prestigious $2.5 million race gets underway.

The prospect of a hard track is another significant hurdle for Americain to overcome on Saturday given he has also drawn barrier 19 in the field of 18 plus four emergencies and also has the equal top weight in the race of 58kg, along with last year's Melbourne Cup winner and fellow French trained horse Dunaden.

Americain has not raced since winning the Group Two Sandown Classic at weight-for-age over 2400m at the end of last year's spring carnival on a track that was rated a Dead 5.

If Americain, currently a $21 chance at Betfair and sportsbet.com.au and $19 at TAB Sportsbet, is scratched then it will open the door for the first emergency in the Mike Moroney-trained Sabrage, which was third in last year's VRC Derby.