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Stewards will make a routine inspection of the Hawkesbury track at 4pm today and again at 6am tomorrow following a rating downgrade to a Heavy 9 following overnight rain.

Hawkesbury Race Club CEO Brian Fletcher is confident tomorrow’s $1 million meeting will go ahead provided there is no more heavy rain.

“I am not concerned about this afternoon’s inspection,” Fletcher said.

“The Weather Bureau is predicting a further 2 to 6mm of rain and that won’t be a problem. My only concern is if we wake up in the morning and it’s pouring.

“We’ve got our fingers crossed everything will be okay because it is such a terrific program.”

There are four early scratchings from the $150,000 Panthers Hawkesbury Gold Cup (1600m) with the emergencies Frespanol and Evangelist joining the early withdrawals Laser Hawk and Diademe.

Frespanol’s trainer Gai Waterhouse, who won the 2006 Hawkesbury Cup with Beauty Watch, will rely on Ecuador (Tye Angland) and Pheidon (Thomas Huet).

Waterhouse has decided to put blinkers back on Ecuador, who was just pipped by Cup rival Rugged Cross over 1400m at Randwick on April 18 when having his first start in 13 months.

He meets the Chris Waler-trained Rugged Cross 1kg better on Saturday.

“Ecuador is the horse that has pleased me most,” Waterhouse said. “His first-up run was enormous, and he has done particularly well since.”

Ecuador has won twice from three starts when having his second run in a preparation, and also won twice from three starts on soft tracks though yet to encounter a heavy surface.

Stablemate Pheidon is resuming, but has won first-up previously and been fitted by three trials.

Jockey Sam Clipperton, not yet fully recovered from a nasty Kembla Grange fall on Tuesday, is also a Hawkesbury scratching, forfeiting seven mounts.

His bookings included San Diego (Cup), My Sabeel (Darley Crown) and Ygritte (Hawkesbury Guineas).