Second Sydney chance for St Lawrence in the Premier’s Cup Prelude 2025

Among those most disappointed by Randwick’s abandoned meeting last Saturday was Victorian horseman Gavin Bedggood, whose gelding St Lawrence was ready for the Premier’s Cup Prelude (1800m).

Heavy rain late Friday forced the cancellation of most of the card, but the Prelude has been rescheduled for Wednesday at the Kensington circuit, run at the same distance with original acceptances reinstated.

Bedggood said the timing was unfortunate, as Saturday’s small field and heavy surface would have suited his runner perfectly.

Already six horses have come out of Wednesday’s field, which still stands two above the safety cap of 12.

“He had done all his work around running on Saturday, but it is what it is and he’s already up there,” Bedggood said.

“We’re not going to get wet ground down here, I don’t think.

“So, we’ll take our chance and the move to the Kensington might discourage a few of those better horses from stepping out and they might look for another option.”

The trainer admitted the race was always tricky to assess.

“After all the scratchings, the field fell away to a field of seven, and I thought he was a great chance, but it was a very hard race to read.

“There was a lot of horses that are early in their campaigns, a lot of horses from the same stable, so it was a bit of a raffle.

“I’m not all over the form up there, so, for me, it was a hard race to read.”

Wednesday will be Bedggood’s first time saddling a runner on the Kensington surface.

“I’ve never seen the Kensington track,” he said.

“I know it’s an assistance to be up near the speed, so we’ll see what it (the race) looks like once the final scratchings come through and what sort of field we are left with.”