KEY POINTS:
Whoa, we all thought Saturday's rain-affected $200,000 Counties Cup track was an ordinary start to the big summer racing - but it might be about to get wetter.
The $200,000 First Sovereign Trust Avondale Cup next Wednesday could be even worse affected.
Ken Ring, the highly-regarded scientist who predicts weather patterns by the phases of the Moon, believes next week will be a horror weather week for the top half of the North Island.
And his Predict Weather book suggests Auckland is in for a soaking we haven't seen for a while.
Ring's forecast is for scattered showers moving into Auckland on Sunday night. Following that is nightmare weather.
Monday, December 3: Rain over the North Island.
Auckland: Partly cloudy, rain, blustery.
Tuesday, December 4: Rain in the east and northern half of the North Island.
Auckland: Overcast, downpours, gales.
Wednesday, December 5, Avondale Cup day: Showers in the east of the North Island. Auckland: Cloudy, occasional showers, thunderstorms possible.
To put it in racing odds terminology, Ken Ring is correct with his predictions around 88 to 90 per cent of the time.
In this case, if he's 50 per cent correct, punters who have backed firm track horses at fixed odds in the Avondale Cup could be in trouble.
Ken Ring said yesterday recent hot temperatures have been because the Moon was at it's most northerly point for the month last weekend and by the middle of next week will be close to its most southern point, dramatically lowering temperatures.
"Some people might not be noticing, but the temperature is dropping slightly each day and by Friday it will probably be cold enough to rain."
Ring says the polar blast will be severe enough to see snow in the South Island next week.
And the weather through to Avondale Cup day is apparently not the end of the wet.
Predict Weather says rain and showers will continue until the following weekend.
Not the greatest prediction for the second day of the Avondale meeting with the running of the $100,000 Avondale Guineas.
And then you can take a breath - Ring predicts fine weather through until Christmas Day.
The next rain in Auckland, he believes, will be on the night of Boxing Day, with a wet December 27.
