Alan Sharrock's wish for rain on the Omakau racecourse tomorrow is a little ironic.
The New Plymouth trainer is hoping for a rain-affected surface, which would help the chances of Darci Mac in today's Central Otago Summer Cup.
For most, water has been a sensitive topic heading into the meeting. An unruly timer on the Omakau track's irrigation system is understood to have put the race day in jeopardy, as it caused a wet patch on the home turn.
Though Sharrock is hoping for an even spread of precipitation.
After all, the hope of striking a rain-affected track is the whole reason Darci Mac is in the South Island.
''I sent him down there in the hope of striking off tracks, but he's struck good ones,'' Sharrock said.
''He's still gone good races and been a bit unlucky.''
Two last-start runners-up in Timy Tyler and Johnny Jones look to be Darci Mac's biggest rivals in today's cup.
Timy Tyler comes out of the strongest race of the trio, having pushed Starvoia to a nose margin in the Hazlett Stakes at Wingatui on Boxing Day. That performance came on a dead rated, but rain-affected track.
So there would be few complaints from his trainer, Kelvin Tyler, if rain came.
Johnny Jones went down by only a long neck to Batman in the Kurow Cup on Saturday, on a dead rated but non-rain-affected track.
Last year's winner of the Central Otago Summer Cup, Secret Power, will try to keep her unbeaten record on the Omakau track intact in today's race.
Flag The Groom will try to win back-to-back Clare Memorial Gold Cups today also.
The Bevan Wilson-trained galloper opened second favourite for the event in bookmakers' markets, behind Indiana Pearl, who was denied clear racing room in her last start behind Patrick Erin.
