Harris back in the winning groove
Cambridge jockey has five rides at Matamata today
Troy Harris has exceeded his own expectations since resuming race riding. The Cambridge jockey has been back in action a little over a week and the 29-year-old has quickly returned to his winning ways.
“Everything is going really well and my manager Dean Williams is doing a great job,” Harris said.
“I couldn’t have asked for anything better and hopefully the good rides keep coming.”
Harris won on Woodloveto at Rotorua in his second day back riding and gained further success aboard Virtuoso Lad and Ambitious Winner at Te Teko last Wednesday. He also won on O’He Can at Avondale the following day.
“I was out for three and a-half months after I strained my back,” he said.
“I do a lot of running to keep the weight off and when I can’t do any exercise I get heavy, I have to work really hard at it.
“I can do 57kg easily and I was 56.5kg on Saturday. My weight is the best it’s been for a while.”
Harris has five rides at Matamata on today — Amen Corner (Fairview Motors 1600m), Giant Gem (Mitavite 1200m), Lord Snow (Lowe Schollum Jones Insurance Brokers 1600m), Lips Of An Angel (New Zealand Bloodstock Insurance Pearl Series Race 1400m) and The Concord (Hi Tech Floor Scrubbers 1400m).
He will also be heading to Awapuni on Saturday where his mounts will include the Shane Crawford-trained Bel Ragazzo in the Gr.3 Manawatu Classic (2000m). He was a winner two runs back before he finished unplaced, after a chequered run, in the Gr.1 New Zealand Derby (2400m).
Talented mare Let Her Rip will close out her New Zealand career at Saturday’s Manawatu meeting.
She will make her final appearance in the Listed Bramco Granite & Marble Flying Handicap (1400m) at Awapuni.
“She’ll take her place and a few days after that she’s on a plane to Sydney where she’ll be sold,” trainer Shaune Ritchie said.
“She’ll be joined in the sale by Snow Secret and we’d expect them to both fetch nice prices.”
Let Her Rip, whose five wins fea- ture the Gr.3 Rotorua Stakes (1400m), hasn’t raced since December but the Rip Van Winkle fiveyear-old signalled her readiness for the weekend with a recent placing in a 1000m heat at the Taupo trials.
“We know she’s always gone her best races fresh, she’s very effective first-up,” Ritchie said.
“This year’s edition of the Flying Handicap looks like it will be quite strong.
“And any rain will help her. I think she’ll run well though.”
Like Let Her Rip, Snow Secret has won five races and also made her mark at black type level.
The Sakhee’s Secret six-year-old’s resume includes a runner-up finish in the Gr.3 Waikato Cup (2400m) and in the Listed Jakkalberry Classic (1950m).
She was also third in the Listed Feilding Gold Cup (2100m) and ran fourth in the Gr.2 Wellington Cup.
Meanwhile, the Listed Southland Guineas (1600m) winner Global Thinking and the promising Swisswatch, the winner of two of his six starts, remain in the mix for trips to the Queensland winter carnival.
“We’re just working out which three-year-old races they run in here first.
“They would probably both need to win to justify going to Brisbane,” Ritchie said. — NZ Racing Desk