Eight-year-old track specialist, local gelding Rigamarole, has to overcome strong opposition to retire on a winning note in the Laurie Family Old Boys Cup/Peter Ninness Benchmark 45 Handicap over 1800m at Wauchope Jockey Club’s community meeting at its Beechwood Road headquarters on Saturday.
“The cup will be Rigamarole’s swansong race as he is being retired to be a show jumper,” said the gelding’s trainer Colt Prosser.
Wauchope jockey Belinda Hodder, who has ridden the galloper on many occasions, is the happy recipient of the winner of eight races from 66 starts for prizemoney of $106,000. “I told Rigamarole that racing was easier than show jumping,but he has earned his retirement,” said Prosser.
Race club committee’s Steve Smith and his wife purchased the gelding from Darley for $11,000 after it only had a few starts and it won its first two races for them. It was then set for the coveted Grafton Guineas but injured a knee in the race. Rigamarole has won on many tracks but it is at home that he has notched three wins from five starts, two of them being in the Woop Woop Cup in 2013 and 2014.
Prosser was happy with Rigamarole’s run at Port Macquarie on Sunday, will have the benefit of a two kilo claim for jockey Mollie Partridge and is back to a distance and the track he loves.
Kempsey trainer Vince Jones had a win with Star Bid at the Port meeting and he is bullish about the chances of his six-year-old mare Pin High in the cup. Several months ago the mare was a gallant second, beaten 6.8 lengths behind Randwick galloper Esteban at the Beaumont Newcastle track and the winner showed how good the form was by scoring by similar margins in another couple of races in Sydney.
“She has had only one run since but she is ready to fire. I have kept her ticking over nicely on a six kilometre home-made stock route at home and she is ready for the distance … Matt Paget will ride her,” said Jones.
Wauchope nine-year-old gelding Xerxes Dream has won the Old Boys Cup twice and despite the age of trainer Michael O‘Neill’s galloper, he rates a top chance as in five starts at the track it has registered three wins.
Only Rigamarole with eight wins is ahead or Xerxes Dream with seven wins,12 placings and $66,000 prizemoney. Xerxes Dream has been running just behind the placings in TAB company of late and when ninth to Hippy Hi Ho at Port on Sunday,the distance was short of its best.
“He seems to thrive in races on his home track and has these type of races to himself,” said O’Neill. “He is a family pet around the home and he has been a lot of fun.”
As always, top Port jockey Peter Graham, dubbed the “king” of riding winners at the track, has a good book of rides, the best possibly Lord Mij and last start Bowraville winner Larrikan Prince.
– Racing NSW
