Rain Affair has been transferred to the care of Daniel Bowman and the rising trainer is eyeing the 2015 Moir Stakes with the veteran sprinter.
Rain Affair has not recorded a race win since she took out the 2013 edition of the Missile Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart
Rain Affair made his running debut back in October of 2010 under the care of Joe Pride and he has raced at the highest level for the majority of his racing career, but owner Don Storey felt that the eight-year-old was in need of a change after he finished sixth in the Octagonal Handicap (1400m) at Rosehill Gardens on May 30.
Acting on a recommendation from Carmel Size, Storey elected to transfer Rain Affair to the beach-based Warrnambool stable of Daniel Bowman – the former foreman to Darren Weir – and Bowman told Racing Ahead this morning that he was thrilled to acquire some a talented galloper.
“It is a really good honour and I am very grateful that Don Storey has given me a chance with a horse like this,” Bowman said.
“He has more or less become a whipping boy in Sydney for the sprint races and he was a length or two off the better races, so Don get thought that he needed a change and he asked Carmel Size where her horses were and she said they with me.
“He rang me out of the blue and said ‘do you want a horse’ and I said ‘no worries’ and then he said that it was Rain Affair and I nearly dropped the phone.
“I’ve had him nearly a month now just acclimatizing him to the beach and my way of training.
“He has come in outstanding order and he is not like other older horses like Lucky Hussler and Akzar that were mentally jaded, he is a very happy horse and he just has a lot of old aches and pains.
“We just need to get him happy and stretching out again.”
Rain Affair has not recorded a race win since he took out the Group 3 Missile Stakes (1200m) two years ago and he has been plagued by injuries in recent campaigns, but returned to a semblance of his best form when he finished fourth in the Group 3 Star Kingdom Stakes (1200m) and fifth in the Group 1 T.J. Smith Stakes (1200m) during the 2015 Sydney Autumn Racing Carnival.
Bowman believes that Rain Affair still has the talent to compete at the highest level of racing and he is confident that the Group 1 Moir Stakes (1000m) at Moonee Valley on October 2 and the Group 1 Manikato Stakes (1200m) at the same venue on October 23 could be the right races for the eight-year-old.
“I sold him on the idea of getting him to Moonee Valley, where he can roll along and hopefully get a kick off the turn,” Bowman said.
“The short straight gives the opposition less time to run him down and we will aim to kick-off in the Moir and progress to the Manikato.
“If he doesn’t measure up we can always come back a run.”
Rain Affair is still chasing a maiden win at the highest level of racing after finishing second in the 2012 T.J. Smith Stakes, the 2012 All Aged Stakes, the 2013 All Aged Stakes and the 2013 BTC Cup.
