Punters will have to wait at least a couple more weeks before they see Group One winner Catalyst resume his racing career.

The son of Darci Brahma was set to have his first start in nearly two years in the Gr.2 Waikato Stud Foxbridge Plate (1200m) at Te Rapa on Saturday, but the wet weather that has battered the Waikato in the last few days has put a halt to those plans.

“We left him in hoping the track was going to improve a touch but with the amount of rain we have had in the Waikato in the last 24 hours I would say it is very unlikely that he will run fresh-up on an extremely heavy track,” trainer Tony Pike said.

“With spring in New Zealand, it is what it is, but that track tomorrow is going to be extremely heavy and testing and fresh-up after two years on that sort of surface wouldn’t be ideal, so we will just have to wait for another couple of weeks.”

His main aim for the spring is the Hawke’s Bay Spring Carnival and Pike said Catalyst will likely have a trial at Ruakaka next week before making his debut for the stable in the Gr.1 Tarzino Trophy (1400m) at Hastings on September 10.

Bred and owned by The Oaks Stud principal Dick Karreman, Catalyst was previously trained by Clayton Chipperfield, who guided the gelding to six victories from 10 starts.

Catalyst was unbeaten in New Zealand as a three-year-old, winning the Gr.1 New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), Listed Sir Colin Meads Trophy (1200m), Gr.3 Northland Breeders’ Stakes (1200m), Gr.2 Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) and Gr.3 Mr Tiz Trophy (1200m).

He then crossed the Tasman where he just went down to Alligator Blood in the Gr.3 C.S. Hayes Stakes (1400m) before he finished sixth behind his archrival in the Gr.1 Australian Guineas (1600m).

The six-year-old gelding has been plagued by injury since then but has made a pleasing return for Pike ahead of the spring.

-NZ Racing Desk