Gerald Ryan plays waiting game with gun mare Snitzerland

GERALD Ryan will monitor weather conditions and a track gallop tomorrow before deciding if Snitzerland runs in Sydney or Brisbane this weekend.

Brenton Avdulla drives Snitzerland to the line to win the Black Caviar Lightning Stakes. Picture: Images Getty

GERALD Ryan will monitor the weather and a final track gallop tomorrow before deciding if Lightning Stakes winner Snitzerland runs in Sydney or Brisbane this weekend.

Snitzerland is among five Group 1 winners nominated for the Group 2 Victory, joined by Solzhenitsyn, Spirit Of Boom, Temple Of Boom and Tiger Tees.

Trainer Joe Pride indicated Tiger Tees was an unlikely runner, with mostly sunny weather forecast for Brisbane this week.

Snitzerland failed on the heavy track in the T.J. Smith Stakes, and Ryan is keen to run her again before the BTC Cup on May 10.

“She’s going too long ­between runs. She needs racing,” Ryan said.

“She will either run at Randwick (in the All Aged Stakes) or the Victory Stakes in Brisbane, then we will have another fortnight to the BTC Cup.”

Tony Gollan intends to start both Spirit Of Boom and Temple Of Boom.

“Spirit will be five weeks between runs and then another two weeks into the BTC Cup works perfectly for him,” Gollan said.

“We can’t afford not to race him. Who knows what the weather’s going to do?

“This is his last prep and I would love to finish his career in the Stradbroke, but that’s dependent on what the weather does.”

Gollan said Temple Of Boom was going well, but failed to handle the quick back-up at his most recent run.

News_Image_File: Spirit Of Boom (gold cap) wins the William Reid Stakes from Fontelina (orange cap). Picture: Ellen Smith

“That was trainer error,” he said. “I thought his previous two runs were really good and he’s better placed in Queensland nowadays.”

One Victory absentee will be Love Rocks, who has been spelled and is out of the carnival. Owner-trainer Steve Tregea said the speedster had “a splint causing a bit of grief” and would give him three months’ break.

News_Image_File: Rob Heathcote and jockey Damian Browne.

Rob Heathcote admits he’s “50-50” whether Solzhenitsyn can make a successful return from a throat operation, but he has his fingers crossed for an encouraging Victory run.

“He’s been good in a jumpout and official trial, but there’s a world of difference between that and race pressure,” Heathcote said.

“He will get a long way back I imagine and Damian (Browne) will have to earn his fee, but we’re hopeful he will be hitting the line.”

Heathcote put in a late nomination for Fire Up Fifi in the Victory, but is leaning towards running her a week later in the Prime Minister’s Cup.

“I will discuss it with the owners, but I felt she should have won the Prime Minister’s Cup last year and it looks the right race to aim at,” he said.

Buffering is likely to have a jumpout on the Tuesday ­before the BTC Cup to round out his tilt on a breakthrough Group 1 in Queensland.

“He hasn’t had much luck in the BTC Cup,” Heathcote said. “He bumped into Black Caviar and Hay List two years ago, then had a stone bruise and last year the rain came when they switched the meeting to Eagle Farm.”