Winter racing back on track at Ruakaka

Whangarei Racing Club general manager Bill Colgan with Gary Woodham, the general manager of the NZ Racing Board, at the Interislander Summer Festival race meeting at Ruakaka. Photo/John Stone

The leading northern stables have strong representation at the Ruakaka Wednesday race meeting that features all races at a minimum of $10,000 for the first time at a mid-week meeting.

The leading local training combination of Donna Logan and Chris Gibbs has 16 runners for the day and many punters will be betting on the team winning five or six races.

Lisdoonvarna, Rikki Tikki Tavi, Jake The Muss, Beaufighter, Twentysixtwelve and Honour Princess are the more favoured runners from the stable but several back-up runners have good credentials.

The 3-year-old Jake The Muss has a nomination for the Queensland Derby and must be expected to perform well in the rating 65 2100m race if he is to justify a trip to Sydney and then on to Brisbane. With form behind the very smart Tavidream, this Postponed gelding should be more than capable of running over the top of this field.

The hardest to beat could be the Clayton Stevenson runner Rocanic, who has finished close up at each start over ground, albeit in maiden company.

There will be other interest in the Queensland Derby with Shocking Luck, who won the group three Rough Habit Plate at Doomben very impressively on Saturday. Locally bred and until recently locally owned, by TW Archer Trust and GL Currie, the son of Shocking is on his way to race in Hong Kong via several starts in Queensland.

With the breeders retaining the mare and having a weanling half-brother by Darci Brahma for the next Karaka sales they will be more than happy to see him deliver more black type glory to the family.

The owners of Twentysixtwelve must have been optimistic about the ability of the Pour Moi (IRE) gelding because they have given him his name from the number that star sprinter Usain Bolt wore when winning an Olympic gold medal.

The Rae Racing stables have had a sensational run with their Super Easy 2-year-old Prom Queen, with five wins at Riccarton.

The filly is now spelling and there is a chance she will be aimed for the Tavistock Northland Breeders Stakes at Ruakaka on September 16.

The stable has an aptly named Spinnaker starting first up in the 2-year-old maiden over 1000m.

This filly is owned, and was bred by, the dedicated horse racing family of Bear and Sue Morgan. Spinnaker has shown speed in her two trials, with a win recently at the Ellerslie trials on May 2.

Nine races are scheduled for Wednesday, with the first at 11.55am and the last at 4.38pm. The other leading northern region stables with large entries include Tony Pike with 10 acceptances, Moira and Karen Murdoch stables with nine, Stephen McKee with seven and Steven Marsh with six acceptances.

Off the track there will be as much competition as on the track with the Lion Red Pubs and Clubs punters challenge.

Pubs and Clubs between Waipu and Kerikeri have nominated their teams to compete for the trophy currently held by last year's team from the Grand Hotel in Whangarei.