Ritchie hopes he can leave his home track with a victory

Craig Ritchie. Photo / File

Craig Ritchie was about the only Pukekohe trainer not on tenterhooks yesterday over whether his local meeting would go ahead today.

After 30ml of rain on Monday night, insiders feared it would only take a heavy downpour before race morning to create enough surface water for stipes to cancel the card.

If racing is conducted, punters can expect one of the most testing tracks of the winter.

Ritchie, however, left for his new permanent base at Warwick Farm on Sunday; the first five horses were due to arrive last night.

He still has two entries for Pukekohe - Centrepark (race one) and Istimagic (race three) - but will shut down his New Zealand operation when his family join him in Sydney at the end of the month.

"If I had my pick I'd still be living in New Zealand, but it was only a matter of time before my clients shifted their horses over here," said Ritchie.

"I'm not saying I know the solution to the problem, but it's the owners who are the base and the ones who keep putting the money in.

"If they can't get something back, then it's not viable to keep it going."

Ritchie's Sydney Cup placegetter Solid Billing is one of the first in his new stable, along with Regal Bay and versatile seven-year-old Icefyre, who was entered in the R80 1200m at Pukekohe today.

The Don Dwyer-trained Annie, who arrives on Saturday, is likely to be the first horse Ritchie saddles from his new operation, more than likely in a 1900m event at Canterbury next Wednesday.

"If you take the right horse at the right time, it's so much more lucrative for them, and the facilities here are just out of this world," said Ritchie.

"Icefyre is a classic example. We've had constant problems with his feet but with the facilities here I'm confident we can get him fit and hold that fitness for much longer."

Meanwhile, focusing on race fitness and apprentice claims look the best shortcut to a share of the $40,000 Pick6 and $10,000 Quaddie bonus today.

Standout anchor Princessabeel (race nine) scores highly on both counts. The Graham Richardson-trained Savabeel mare impressed with her last-start R70 win at Te Teko over the same 1600m trip.

With 3kg claimer Dicky Lui aboard again today she jumps just 1kg in the same grade and is a past winner on the course.

Lui and Richardson can bookend the Pick6 with the promising Gold Mine 3-year-old Boy Star (race four).

His clash with lightly tried two-win filly Conger in the Takinini Feeds R80 promises to be one of the features.

Hardy veteran Bert generally saves his best for this track and should be thrown into the mix. He handles heavy footing well.

The likely Jockeys' Challenge favourite Lui also has a stand-out mount in leg five of Pick6 aboard Pogue.

The His Royal Highness gelding fought valiantly on a testing Tauranga last start before being mastered late by Arnold in the final 75m.

Arnold proved that win was no fluke with a next-up victory in a handy R70 at Te Awamutu on Saturday.