Having a jumper that needs good footing is as close to a nightmare as you can get.
Ask Southland's Ellis Winsloe.
From the moment Kidunot won Ellerslie's Great Northern Hurdles last September Ellis and his owners set the horse for today's Grand National Steeplechase at Riccarton.
And prayed for dry weather.
They didn't get it and Kidunot will go around in today's famous race without the confidence of his connections.
"On a good track I'd have said he was unbeatable," said a disappointed Ellis.
Even Mark Oulaghan, who looks almost certain to win the race with either Yourtheman or Counter Punch, agrees with Ellis.
"If the track wasn't heavy, Kidunot would have been the horse to beat."
Riccarton on Wednesday could not possibly have got heavier and still been a race meeting.
Rain around Christchurch yesterday means the surface will have little opportunity to be better this time.
The steeplechase course down the back straight is the driest part of Riccarton at the moment, but when the fields rejoin the course proper the horses are in deep, heavy ground.
"I still give him some hope simply because he's a very good jumper," said Ellis hopefully.
The Southland trainer said no decision has been made whether Kidunot will be at Ellerslie for the Great Northern again. "The Ellerslie track would have to dry out.
"You'd come to Riccarton and chance your arm for a decent track, but it's too far to go to Ellerslie if there's no chance of a suitable track."
Racing: Kidunot will do it tough
Kidunot heads for the finish during the Great Northern Hurdles in 2009. Photo / Greg Bowker
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