Half-brother to Derby winner set to debut
AN older half-brother of this year’s Victoria Derby winner will make his racetrack debut on Saturday – and he has turned out to be a ‘free hit’ for his connections.
The Catherine Camerontrained 4YO gelding Raajoices has already got a high mark to live up to, after his little bro Manzoice capped a high-flying spring with victory in the $2m classic at Flemington.
Raajoices is down to run in a mile maiden at Tauranga on Saturday, and is rated a $19 chance with TAB to kick off his racing career with a victory.
His trainer, the Cambridgebased Cameron, said he ended up in her yard free of charge, after a prospective move to Hong Kong didn’t eventuate.
Funnily enough, the handover to her came not long prior to Manzoice’s heroics at Flemington.
“He’s a nice, big horse – he’s just been a bit slow maturing. And he was actually bought for Hong Kong,” Cameron told Punters of the NZ$210,000 yearling buy, purchased by bloodstock agent John Foote.
“And we had four for John
Size, two have gone, one fell by the wayside, and he’s the leftover one, and he’s not shown enough to get-up and go, at least for Hong Kong (standards). And then John (Foote) actually said, ‘Do you want him (for nothing)?’
“I said, ‘Well, we’ve done all the hard yards with him, he’s a nice horse and everybody loves him!’ So that’s how we ended up him, and I stayed in him and put some owners in him.
“He’s always looked like a miler-plus horse, so hopefully he is given what his brother’s done.
“I thought maybe he’d lease him to me with a right to purchase … but sometimes those guys (in Hong Kong) cut their losses.”