It's a bit like washing your car knowing that a dust storm could be headed your way: Mother Nature may scupper all your hard work.
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That's the situation confronting Tamworth trainer Cody Morgan ahead of his four-pronged assault on the $50,000 Country Championships Wild Card (1280m) at Muswellbrook on Sunday.
The first two placegetters qualify for the $500,000 Country Championships Final at Randwick on April 4.
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But with the horse racing industry, like society itself, sent reeling by the coronavirus pandemic (punters have been locked out of meetings in NSW), Morgan fears that racing will have been suspended by then.
That would be bad news for him, given his horse Ligulate is the favourite for the race after a dominating performance at the Country Championships qualifier at Tamworth on March 8.
"Hopefully they're [the final] on," he said. "It's uncertain times at the moment. It's day by day."
Morgan believes that the final will be run. "But that's today," he said.
"You know, it could all change tomorrow. But at this stage we're preparing as if they're on. It's all we can do."
Of his four runners in the Wild Card, Morgan rates five-year-old geldings Mahalangur and Over And Above his best chances. His other runners are Pat's Nipper and Whosyourhousemate.
"I couldn't split Mahalangur and Over And Above based on their track work this week," he said.
"Mahalangur comes to me with great form from Sydney. He's had an injury layoff. He's going tremendous at the moment. [I'm] going down there [Muswellbrook] confident with him."
Morgan said Over And Above "didn't come up" his last preparation, but had "really been helped" by recent rain softening tracks.
The horse had "really appreciated it", Morgan said, adding that Bobbing was the main threat.
"He's an exceptional horse," the trainer said of Bobbing.