The first thing Danny Williams checked when he saw it had started raining in Melbourne was the forecast for the rest of the week and the second was Shelby Sixtysix’s VOBIS Gold eligibility.

Once he learned the star of his Goulburn stable was, he threw in an entry for the $250,000 VOBIS Gold Sprint (1200m), a race restricted to paid-up members of the VOBIS Gold scheme.

Williams tossed up whether to pay the $1100 VOBIS Gold nomination fee when Shelby Sixtysix, a son of Swettenham Stud stallion Toronado who cost $150,000 at the Inglis Classic Sale, was a yearling and is now glad that he did.

“We had to double check whether he was eligible,” Williams said. “We checked our paperwork on Sunday and everything was up to date.

“It was an expensive $1100 to start with but hopefully that it works out that it was worthwhile.”

Melbourne had a day of persistent rain on Monday with further showers falling on Tuesday morning, when the Caulfield track was rated a Soft 6.

The forecast is for sub-20dg temperatures for the remainder of the week with more rain falling on Tuesday and the chance of showers on Wednesday and Thursday.

Shelby Sixtysix is also nominated for the $160,000 Listed Bel Esprit Stakes (1100m), which is not a VOBIS-only race, but Williams said if he runs at Caulfield it would almost certainly be in the VOBIS Gold Sprint.

“The set weights and penalties of the 1200 seems the logical way to go if we were going to go down there,” Williams said.

“We’re pretty confident that is the way we’re going.”

Shelby Sixtysix was the fairytale story of the Sydney Autumn Carnival, graduating from Highway performer to winner of the Group 1 Galaxy.

His most recent performance came in the Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) at Randwick on April 2, when he finished a 6-1/2-length seventh in the race won by Nature Strip.