Raiment Back To Her Best In Carr Stakes

Raiment returned to her best form with a dazzling display in the 2017 JHB Carr Stakes at Royal Randwick this afternoon.

Everything did not go to plan for Raiment and she was caught four wide in the worst part of the track, but she always travelled nicely and stormed her way into the race coming around the bend.

Doyle waited until Raiment got off the Royal Randwick rise before he let her go and she quickly sprinted away from her rivals to record a similar victory to her first-up romp in the Birthday Card Stakes.

Raiment failed to fire in the PJ Bell Stakes last start and Doyle could offer no explanation for the turn-around, but was clearly pleased to be able to finish his stint in Australia with a win.

“This was basically the same field, but it was different ground again and it has been very tricky to work out,” Doyle said.

“Everybody is allowed an off day and that is what she had.

“She was so dominant today.

“From that draw I didn’t have enough gas to go forward and lead, so I had to sit and suffer a little bit.

“When I was four deep I was a little bit concerned, but at the 600 she just picked the bridle up.

“I waited for as long as I could before I got over the rise and she had no problems.”

Trainer John O’Shea was confident that Raiment would be able to bounce back to her best and he could not have been more impressed with the way that she found the line in the final stages of the race.

O’Shea used his post-race interview to play credit to James Doyle – who returns to England tomorrow – and he is hopeful that the talented hoop will return to Australia for another stint shortly.

“We hope that James will come back,” O’Shea said.

“He is just a great guy to work with and he is an exceptional rider.

“He has adapted to the Australian way very quickly and it was just unfortunate he had a couple of bumps where he fell off and got injured.

“He has been a delight to work with and we would be honoured to have him back and we are desperate for him to come back.

“She got back to her best today and we need to be a little bit forgiving because the other day she just got into that worst part of the ground.

“She bounced back beautifully this week and showed her true class.”

O’Shea said that he has plenty of options with Raiment and Adelaide, Brisbane and Hawkesbury are all on the cards.

About The Author

Thomas Hackett

Thomas is a passionate and opinionated racing journalist and punter who has been obsessed with horse racing since he backed Saintly to win the 1996 Melbourne Cup. An international racing enthusiast, he has his finger on the pulse of racing news not just from Australia but all around the world.