Sammy The Snake is on trial for a step up to stakes company when he heads to Sandown.

The gelding was originally set to run over 2500 metres at Flemington on Saturday but that meeting was abandoned because of the extreme heat.

Sammy The Snake now runs in the Bushnell Outdoor Products Hcp (2400m), one of two $80,000 races added to Wednesday's program to accommodate horses heading to holiday features.

A last-start winner over 2400m at Sandown, Sammy The Snake is racing for a start in the Bagot Handicap (2800m) at Flemington on New Year's Day.

Co-trainer Simon Zahra said Saturday's cancellation may just have been the right call as far as Sammy The Snake was concerned.

"It will be a quick back-up for him (to the Bagot) but maybe if he had run in the heat on Saturday he might not have backed up in two weeks time anyway," Zahra said.

Sammy The Snake is a dual winner at Sandown over 2400m but is yet to fire at Flemington with Zahra blaming immaturity for his flops.

Another last-start Sandown winner Lucques is described a work in progress by Zahra who trains in partnership Mathew Ellerton.

Lucques is another of the horses going to Sandown from the original Flemington meeting and runs in the $80,000 Cable Beach Resort (2100m).

A four-year-old by High Chaparral, Lucques was gelded at the end of his three-year-old campaign after finishing 13th in the South Australian Derby at Morphettville.

Zahra said Lucques was now tougher mentally.

"He showed us a lot of ability and we threw him in the Adelaide Derby but he probably wasn't quite seasoned for that," Zahra said.

"We gelded him after that run and that has probably been the making of him."

Lucques showed his ability with a fighting win at Sandown on December 5 when on the speed throughout.

Zahra says the gelding's work since has been fantastic but he will race through his grades for the time being.

However if his form warrants it, another trip to Adelaide for the carnival during the autumn could be on the agenda.