Richard Laming grounded by Tropical Cyclone Alfred as his colt Our Benefactor prepares to take on Broadsiding in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas

Tropical Cyclone Alfred has ruined Richard Laming’s hopes of watching his colt race live in Saturday’s Group 1 Randwick Guineas

A stranded Richard Laming will be forced to watch his talented colt Our Benefactor race in Saturday’s Group 1 Randwick Guineas from a wet and wild Brisbane after he was unable to catch a flight to Sydney on Thursday.

Laming’s hopes of watching Our Benefactor chase his fourth consecutive victory on Saturday have been crushed, with the effects of Cyclone Alfred causing flight delays and cancellations in South East Queensland, which is bracing for gale-force winds and potential flash flooding.

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“I was meant to go down to Sydney but the airports are shut at the moment, both Brisbane and the Gold Coast,” Laming told Racenet on Thursday morning.

Racing Queensland has cancelled or postponed a string of race meetings this week, including the $2m Jewel Day on the Gold Coast, with up to 260mm of rain forecast to be dumped on Brisbane on Friday and over the weekend.

TAB has posted Our Benefactor as a $31 chance against red-hot favourite Broadsiding ($1.60), with Swiftfalcon ($4) and Aeliana ($6.50) next on the line in the $1m contest over 1600m.

“The horse is spot-on,” Laming said about Our Benefactor, who will be ridden by Irish jockey Martin Harley in the Randwick Guineas.

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“Our bloke’s on the way up and he’s done everything right. He deserves his chance on Saturday.

“It’s time to step up the bar. He’s not going to win any prizemoney in his box at home.”

Harley rode Laming’s other crack colt Savour The Dream in last Saturday’s $1m Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m) at Flemington but was caught wide without cover and finished 12th in a race won by Feroce, who is part-owned by Collingwood coach Craig McRae.

Richard Laming says Our Benefactor has earned a crack at the Group 1 Randwick Guineas. Picture: Grant Peters/Trackside Photography

“Martin’s ride last Saturday wasn’t the best - he was three-wide with no cover - and then he came in and tried to tell me ‘Jamie Melham wouldn’t let me in’,” Laming said.

“I told him ‘mate, you’re riding against the best now, they’re not going to let you in during a Group 1 race’. But that’s all right, they can all have a bad one.

“He’s won three in a row on the horse so I’m pretty loyal like that.”

With rain expected to fall in Sydney, up to 6mm on Friday and 15mm on Saturday, Laming isn’t sure how Our Benefactor will handle the Randwick track if it is downgraded to heavy.

But going up against three-time Group 1 champion Broadsiding, with James McDonald on board, Laming would be happy to jag a place.

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The James Cummings-trained Broadsiding won the Group 1 $1m Champagne Stakes (1600m) at Royal Randwick last April on a heavy track.

“The rumour is that there’s going to get a fair bit of rain in Sydney so the track could be heavy,” said Laming, who trains in partnership with his father Bevan.

“Our colt has won on a soft track but he’s never raced on a heavy so that will be new ground for us. He’s also going up in grade.

“Broadsiding should be the winner of the race I would’ve thought, looking at the draw and the way the race will be run.

“But I wouldn’t be too unhappy if we managed a place against him, that’s for sure.”

Laming said the next targets for Our Benefactor remained the Group 1 $750,000 Rosehill Guineas (2000m) on March 22 and possibly the Group 1 $2m Australian Derby (2000m) at Randwick on April 5.

Originally published as Richard Laming grounded by Tropical Cyclone Alfred as his colt Our Benefactor prepares to take on Broadsiding in the Group 1 Randwick Guineas