UPDATE: Race favourites Icebath and Cross Talk have been scratched from the group 3 Tibbie Stakes and Cameron Handicap respectively at Newcastle Racecourse on Friday.
Overnight rain has put the track in the heavy 8 range for the Newcastle Cup program.
The David Pfieffer-trained Laurie Me In was another scratching from the Cameron.
THURSDAY: Icebath or no Icebath, Newcastle trainer Kris Lees is keen to see how his mare Le Villi resumes as a four-year-old over the 1400 metres of the group 3 Tibbie Stakes at Newcastle on Friday.
The $200,000 race for fillies and mares is the finale on Newcastle Cup day and has shaped as perhaps the most interesting of the features this week, thanks mainly to the entry of Brad Widdup-trained Icebath.
The wet-track star, a winner of more than $4.3 million in prizemoney, was among acceptances for the Tibbie Stakes and Saturday's $1 million group 1 George Main Stakes at Randwick, where she could meet superstars Zaaki and Anamoe.
The Tibbie is the far easier target but Icebath showed her ability against elite company in the wet last start, rattling home from well back in the Tramway Stakes (1400m) on a heavy 10 to finish less two lengths from Zaaki.
With rain forecast and speculation about Zaaki's place in the George Main, Widdup was unsure late Thursday which way to go. Newcastle was a soft 7 with rain falling. Randwick was a soft 5.
"I'm not sure she's going [to Newcastle] yet," Widdup said on Thursday afternoon.
"I probably won't know until tonight or tomorrow morning. She's in on Saturday so I've just got to see what happens there, and how the weather is in Sydney."
Kerrin McEvoy was booked to ride Icebath at Newcastle but there was no jockey listed for her at Randwick. Widdup said that was no indication of where she was headed.
"They probably expect you to go there," he said of taking the easier option at Newcastle. "But we've never dodged it in the past, so we'll see."
A definite starter is Le Villi, which finished third in June's Queensland Oaks (2200m) at her most recent start. She was an $8.50 TAB chance on Thursday, behind Icebath ($2.80) and Katalin ($3.30).
Le Villi won over 1400m as a maiden in New Zealand but has raced only over further since.
"I've only ever trained her to run in long races so I'm interested to see how she reacts over the shorter trip," Lees said.
"She's got a bit of that residual fitness, so she's in good order. Whether she shows up over the 1400, it remains to be seen, but either way it's a nice race for her to start her preparation."
Also resuming for Lees is Melbourne Cup prospect Luncies ($31) in the Cameron Handicap (1500m). He also had Special Reward in the race but he was scratched because of a foot injury.
"He's not a 1500m horse but you've got to start somewhere with a horse like him," he said of Luncies.
"We've aborted a couple of times due to really heavy tracks, so we're looking forward to getting him back."
He said there were no set targets with Le Villi.
"She had a really long season of racing so you are always just a bit guarded about how they come back, four-year-old mares coming out of their age group against bigger opposition, so we'll just take it a run at a time," he said.
"She's looked well in everything she's done."
"She gets back a bit at that trip, I'd suggest, but we'll give her as chance to get home and see where we are."
