Trainer Peter Snowden has his fingers crossed that the Sandown track will be no worse than dead for Kidnapped for Saturday's Group Two Sandown Classic.The Hillside circuit was rated a good (3) on Thursday but there was 50mm of rain forecast for Saturday."It's very important that he gets a good to dead track because if its worse than that he's got no hope," Snowden said.Asked whether he would scratch Kidnapped if the track was slow or worse, Snowden said: "I'd have to talk to my team on the day i

Trainer Peter Snowden has his fingers crossed that the Sandown track will be no worse than dead for Kidnapped for Saturday's Group Two Sandown Classic.

The Hillside circuit was rated a good (3) on Thursday but there was 50mm of rain forecast for Saturday.

"It's very important that he gets a good to dead track because if its worse than that he's got no hope," Snowden said.

Asked whether he would scratch Kidnapped if the track was slow or worse, Snowden said: "I'd have to talk to my team on the day if it's slow or heavy because he just doesn't go on it at all."

Snowden said the small field of eight wouldn't affect the Viscount four-year-old.

"The tempo doesn't matter. The horse doesn't pull at all so if there is no speed he'll just settle a bit handier," he said.

Kerrin McEvoy, number one rider in Australia for the big Sheikh Mohammed string, stays with Kidnapped after he failed on a deteriorating track when 10th to So You Think in the Mackinnon Stakes (2000m) at Flemington.

At his previous outing when second-up, the gelding came from last to be beaten 1-1/2 lengths when fifth to More Joyous in the Toorak Hcp (1600m) at Caulfield.

The Snowden stable will farewell Kidnapped after Saturday's weight-for-age 2400m feature as he will go into quarantine before being flown to Dubai, most likely to be prepared for the carnival there which begins in February.

Kidnapped won the Group One South Australian Derby (2500m) at Morphettville last May and the Classic has been earmarked as his grand final for the spring.

At the corresponding meeting last year Kidnapped won the Group Two Sandown Guineas (1600m) while Purple was runner-up to Zipping in the Classic.

The Snowden stable, which had four winners over the four days of the Melbourne Cup carnival, has seven acceptors at Saturday's meeting.

"The weather certainly holds the key to a few of our hopes really," Snowden said.

"Dysphonia doesn't handle wet ground and Kidnapped definitely doesn't handle wet ground so that takes out a bit of our strike power if it rains.

"Palomares won well last start and Demerit missed out on a run in the Emirates Stakes so hopefully he'll run well."

Nine-year-old Zipping, shooting for his fourth straight Sandown Classic victory, is $1.60 favourite with TAB Sportsbet after performing so well during the spring carnival.

Manighar and Ginga Dude are at $6.50, Faint Perfume and Exceptionally at $14 with Kidnapped at $16.