Miss Andretti doubtful for McEwen

The prospect of outstanding sprinter Miss Andretti resuming in this Saturday's G2 McEwen Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley are getting longer by the minute.

The track at Moonee Valley was downgraded from a Dead 5 on Thursday morning to a Slow 6 by early afternoon after eight milimetres of rain fell on the course.

The seven-year-old mare was one of 11 final acceptors for the weight-for-age place but trainer Lee Freedman has said she will not start if the track is any worse than dead.

"It's definitely a Slow 6 at best," Moonee Valley racecourse manager Greg Barker confirmed to Sportal early Thursday afternoon.

"We're expecting a fair bit more rain overnight."

The track will be assessed on Friday morning but will 'definitely be in the slow range', Barker said.

Forecast showers for Friday and Saturday will only soften the track further, lengthening the odds of Miss Andretti starting.

While Miss Andretti is unbeaten at her only two starts on a slow track, she has also been unplaced on a heavy surface and failed at her most recent outing on rain-affected going in England last year.

The McEwen, a $181,000 race, will be stayer Maybe Better's first run since being a late scratching from last year's Melbourne Cup.

Should Miss Andretti not run, stablemate Here De Angels, the Leon Corstens-trained Kaphero, four-year-old Morgan Dollar and gun wet-tracker Lucky Secret will all vie for race favouritism.