Rae’s Ripper result in Wairio Cup
Wairio Cup winner Red Ripper will be raced over hurdles later in his career, co-trainer Kenny Rae says.
Red Ripper’s success in Sunday’s Cup was his first since winning the Kumara Nuggets four months ago. After the Nuggets, he was 14th in the Wellington Cup and then turned out.
His other two outings in this campaign produced a second at the Avondale trials on March 31 and a ninth in the Marlborough Cup on April 26.
Red Ripper’s jockey, Lee Callaway, was pleasantly surprised to hear judge Brendon Burke call him in first in the Wairio Cup. Callaway thought Motorboat Mike had caught him on the line.
“I moved him [Red Ripper] out on the turn, four or five out where the ground was a bit better,” Callaway said.
Red Ripper and Motorboat Mike drew clear of their rivals in the final stages, with the former winning by a nose.
Callaway picked up the mount on Red Ripper when declared rider Ryan Bishop stood down from riding because of cramp. It was Callaway’s 150th career win.
Rae and his training partner wife Lisa, who operate stables at Ruakaka and Riccarton, landed a second win on the Wairio Jockey Club’s programme with Paintball (AB Lime Maiden).
Paintball entered the Raes’ stable three months ago and preceded Sunday’s win with a third and a fifth at Blenheim last month. Threeyear-old Paintball responded gamely for jockey David Walsh in a close finish with Untapped.
“He showed some guts the last 50m,” Walsh said. The Raes train 10 horses at Riccarton and 18 at Ruakaka. They also rear 50 or 60 calves at Ruakaka.
Christchurch apprentice Amanda Morgan recorded her 50th career win when scoring a front-running success on Werio in the PGG Wrightson Rating 75.
South Auckland trainer Sean Cameron told Morgan to lead on the Captain Rio gelding, who had run good races for sixth and seventh at Riccarton at his previous two starts. “We got to the front and he kept rolling along. He won easily,” Morgan said.
Werio won the corresponding race last year when the Wairio meeting was held at Ascot Park.
All of Werio’s eight wins have been from Cameron’s stable. He and Paul Bartley, of Auckland, own Werio. Stablemate Storm Home will be nominated for flat and hurdle races at Riverton next Sunday after winning the Nightcaps Contracting Handicap at Winton. Cameron went from being a shareholder in Storm Home to taking 100 per cent ownership last August. The other owners gave up on Storm Home after he bled in a race at Ruakaka.
Storm Home caused some concern by cutting a tendon during a schooling session at Riverton last month.
Apprentice Courtney Barnes picked up an unexpected win on Rumpelstiltskin in the Elders Primary Wool Rating 75. Jacob Lowry, who was booked to ride the Gallant Guru gelding, was unwell and did not attended the meeting.
Ascot Park trainer and partowner Jim Curran plans to race Rumpelstiltskin in a $18,500 rating 75 1200m at Riccarton on May 29. Meanwhile, Ascot Park apprentice Amber Edmeads leaves in a fortnight to ride trackwork for Randwick-based trainer John Sargent. She will be away for two months.