Damp Valley a concern for Madam Delponte

Friday 20 June 2014, 4:41pm

A trackwork gallop on Tuesday at Moonee Valley provided trainer Sam Pritchard-Gordon with more questions than answers.

Pritchard-Gordon took debut winner Madam Delponte to Moonee Valley to see how she would handle the tight circuit but the hit-out gave the Mornington horseman another problem.

Madam Delponte struggled in the heavy ground in the workout which left Pritchard-Gordon to decide whether to run the two-year-old in Saturday's Aquanas Foods Handicap (1200m) or save her for a race on the Geelong synthetic track on Wednesday.

"She got a bit lost in the very heavy ground, which I thought might dampen her prospects on Saturday," Pritchard-Gordon said.

Madam Delponte scored on the Geelong Synthetic track on June 5 but Pritchard-Gordon would like the youngster to earn enough prize money to guarantee runs in three-year-old stakes races early next season.

"We went to the synthetic track because we knew she didn't handle wet going after her first trial," Pritchard-Gordon said.

"I think she's stakes class but in order to be stakes class, she's going to have to get a bit more money into the kitty so I can justify backing off her and getting ready for the spring."

Track manager Marty Synan posted a slow rating for Moonee Valley at acceptance time but the course has improved into the dead range in the ensuing 48 hours.

Pritchard-Gordon said drawing barrier 12 further complicated a difficult decision.

"She's a 530 kilogram horse and she needs to get traction," Pritchard-Gordon said.

"Had we drawn a gate, I'd be a bit bullish but you can find yourself in a tricky situation out there."

Reece Wheeler will ride Madam Delponte again at Moonee Valley after getting her home on debut as a $51 outsider.

Bookmakers have Madam Delponte at $15 to remain unbeaten while the Darren Weir-trained Symphonix is the $2.80 favourite despite his last-start defeat at Swan Hill.

– AAP

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