Rayners spread their charges far and wide
The Rayners are spreading their forces this weekend.
Whanganui trainers Evan and JJ Rayner have only seven horses in work but will have form runners at three meetings.
Just A Lover and Star O’Fraaj will race at Te Rapa on Saturday, 2-year-old Sidart makes her debut at Trentham and Taurus tackles the $50,000 Anzac 1600 at Awapuni on Monday.
Though they have limited numbers, the father and daughter training partnership has still made a mark this autumn.
They have had three wins, two seconds and two thirds over the past month, from just nine starters, and the stable has had eight wins from 42 runners for the season.
Star O’Fraaj was fifth favourite, at $12, on Friday for the $70,000 Group III Cambridge Breeders’ Stakes (1200m). The Iffraaj filly, who races in the Fairdale Stud colours, has had two wins and three placings from six starts.
She beat Vespa over 1200m when resuming at Otaki in February and recorded a valuable Group II placing when finishing third, behind Vespa and Passing Shot, in the Wellington Guineas (1400m) at her next start.
She then finished third, as a $4.60 favourite, behind her Breeders’ Stakes rivals Shees Flawless and Perfect Fit, in a 3-year-old 1200m at Awapuni.
“She had to be used up a bit to get handy [at Awapuni] and I think she was beaten by two smart horses,” Evan Rayner said.
“We have freshened her right up and she will go a good 1200m. She’s a pretty smart filly.”
Star O’Fraaj jarred-up after winning a maiden in the spring and Rayner waited for the tracks to ease before she resumed this year.
The Te Rapa track was rated as dead on Friday and no rain was forecast. “I wouldn’t mind if they got a bit more rain,” Rayner said. “It would slow the real speedsters up and she would handle a slow track.”
Star O’Fraaj’s dam, Star O’The Ball, was an accomplished winter galloper for the Rayners, earning more than $150,000 and twice running second in the Winter Cup at Riccarton.
Shees Flawless headed the Breeders’ Stakes market at $3.20, with Passing Shot, who has a wide barrier, at $4.80, Perfect Fit at $6.50 and Tavy at $7.
Just A Lover has won four races this term, including her last two. She beat Sealed By A Dance over 1600m at Trentham at her last-start and opened as fourth favourite, at $6.50, for the 3-year-old 1600m at Te Rapa.
“I think she’s a very good filly and had been hoping to get her to the Oaks,” Rayner said.
“Most of her owners are from Auckland and this will give them a chance to see her.”
Just A Lover will have to give 1kg to the Fastnet Rock colt Rockfast who opened as a joint $3.50 favourite with Stolen Dance.
The race conditions suit Rockfast who was the runnerup to Turn Me Loose in the Two Thousand Guineas, before twice running second behind Volkstok’n’barrell over 1600m.
Sidart, an Exceed And Excel filly, has won two jumpouts and opened as a $10 third favourite for the Trentham juvenile, in a market dominated by the impressive last-start winner Hover.
“If she [Sidart] did everything right she could be right there,” Rayner said.
“But I’m not sure that the inside barrier would be ideal at her first start and Hover will be very hard to beat again.”
Sidart will be ridden by Kelly Myers, whose uncle, Dan Myers, owns and bred the filly.
Kelly Myers won two races at Blenheim on Friday and has a strong book at Trentham, her other mounts being Lincoln’s Legacy, Floscee’s Gold, Piccadilly, Ocean Emperor, Regal Steps, Casino and Sanjara.
Ocean Emperor, who is on trial for the Brisbane winter carnival, opened as a $2.25 favourite for the 3-year-old 1400m but was already into $2 last night.
A $450,000 yearling buy, Ocean Emperor is trained at Matamata by Gary Hennessy and races in the same ownership as Hennessy’s outstanding galloper Ocean Park.
We have freshened her right up and she will go a good 1200m. She’s a pretty smart filly.