But a little more cut in the ground might bring The Gordonian back into play in the Waimate Cup, despite carrying the top weight of 60kg.
The Oamaru track was rated dead5 yesterday with no rain forecast until tomorrow.
If the track gets any better, The Gordonian's co-trainer, Jo-Ann Gordon, thinks the 7yr-old might be hard-pressed to keep out his rivals in the $25,000 feature.
"It looks like it will be quite a good track and our horses have really hit their best form on a wee bit wetter,'' she said.
"The Gordonian may need it a wee bit wetter but it is over 2200m.''
A firmer track might help the son of Remind to carry the 60kg a touch more easily than a deep track, but five of his seven career victories have come on slow or heavy tracks.
"He can still run all right on a dry track, but it makes it a bit harder for him,'' Gordon said.
"I would expect him to still be in the first three. I think the 2200m is going to help him because it seems the further the better. Hopefully it doesn't dry back to a [dead]4.''
The Waimate Cup is not the grand final for The Gordonian, with Gordon and her co-training father, Jack.
"We'll go to Christchurch in a couple of weeks with The Gordonian and Shaara and we'll be able to get a line on there with The Gordonian to see if we press on towards the Winter Cup,'' Gordon said.‘‘We're pressing on with him, but it's just [a question of] what we'll pick out to go in.''
The Amberley Cup (1600m) on June 25 is the race which will help decide his next path.
Shaara has found himself in a tidy rating 90 sprint field over the 1200m as he, too, creeps towards Grand National week.
"He goes on any tracks, and he should run another honest race,'' she said.
"He would have to be the best runner on paper because he goes on any type of tracks.''
The son of Castledale is one of the Gordons' runners which would cope with the dead track just fine, as he has won three of his five starts on that type of surface.
Despite her name, Rock Solid (race 1) needs cut out of the ground as well.
"She seems to have blossomed on the really heavy tracks as well. She was running all right earlier in the season on the better tracks, but the only thing is she's up two grades now. That makes a big difference.''
Strike Up The Band's short-term future is over hurdles, but Gordon said the 7yr-old could slip under the radar tomorrow.
"He's just that wee bit fitter now after his two races in and he does prefer the track a wee bit drier,'' she said.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he ran a much improved race. He'll be the outsider, but he's come through his last race very well and he's bright.''
Tips from the talent
Jake Lowry
Twickenham (Race 3, No 2)
Courtney Barnes
Forever Vital (Race 6, No 8)
Kelvin Tyler
The Energizer (Race 6, No 10)
Sally McKay
Satin Jitterbug (Race 4, No 5)
