But that is what punters at Kembla Grange will have to deal with this year, the venue soaked with rain throughout the past week.

In all, 161 millimetres has fallen on the track, the Illawarra Turf Club working hard to ensure Tuesday's meeting goes ahead.

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Some sunshine and favourable winds on Monday have racing manager Michael Craig confident the track will be in a good condition come first race.

"We're currently rated a heavy 10, but on the verge of being upgraded to a heavy 9," Craig said. "The weather is looking pretty favourable, so everything's safe as far as being able to race.

"Our racecourse manager David Anderson has done an excellent job to get the track into a good condition considering the weather we've had."

The wet track will see some punters throw form out the window, with many seeking diamonds among the roughies.

As is often the case in the heavy going, the best ground is likely to come along the outside fence.

Bookmaker Adrian Dowdle has spent the past six years on track and he's studied the stats throughout that time.

The veteran has identified two main trends. Battle hardened horses are typically the way to go, while inside barriers can be disastrous to a runner's chances on a heavy track.

"Some horses like the wet tracks and thrive on it," Dowdle said. "I find horses that are race fit, they're not resuming from a spell, seem to excel.

"If you look at the stats at Kembla Grange, on a heavy 10, the cardinal sin is to draw barriers one, two or three.

"Come race five, with a bit of chop in the track and bigger fields, the horses will enjoy the outside part of the track."

This year's Melbourne Cup meeting will be like no other, coronavirus casting a dark cloud over the afternoon.

A crowd of approximately 1000 people is expected at Kembla Grange, the venue sold out. Typically around 4000 fans flock to the track.

That will see the bookie's turnover decline by around two-thirds, down from $30,000 a year ago.

Dowdle is grateful, however, he will be allowed on track, unlike his counterparts in Melbourne.

"On-course bookmaking is about getting big crowds and people coming past your stand, but we're grateful compared to other industries.

"We're also blessed to get some access to the track. Down in Melbourne there are no crowds, those bookmakers haven't worked since March."

For those still running their eye over the fields, a couple of horses have attracted Dowdle's attention.

"There's a smart horse in race three, it's number five, Sahra. It has a bit of form, ran second behind North Pacific, so add that to your multi.

"I also like race five number nine, Zachariah. Third up, it's drawn wide, which is the place to be. It's fit, it's raced at 1500m, now back to 1400m, it'll be hard to beat."