Missile Stakes winner Rain Affair will return to the races in just under a fortnight’s time for the Group 2 Warwick Stakes (1400m) at Warwick Farm on August 24.
Rain Affair will be looking to record his second straight win in the Warwick Stakes. Photo by: Steve Hart
The talented sprinter recorded a dominant five and a half lengths victory in the Group 3 Missile Stakes (1200m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday and trainer Joseph Pride told Racing Ahead that he believes Rain Affair will continue to improve as he moves further into his campaign.
“He is not a first-up horse and he only had the one trial but in saying that he wasn’t really genuinely first-up as he only had a month off after Brisbane,” Pride said on RSN.
“Nash (Rawiller) was really pleased with the horses’ effort and I think that he is pretty keen to stick with the horse where he can.
“There is plenty of improvement in him and you will see his peak runs probably third or fourth run in.”
Pride confirmed that Rain Affair will step back up to 1400 metres in the Warwick Stakes and said a decision will be made about the six-year-olds immediate future after that run with his first test over a mile an option.
“A decision will be made at that point whether he concentrates back on some sprint races or the possibility of stepping him up to a mile for the Chelmsford,” Pride said.
“He doesn’t always get things his own way and (that is) one of the reasons we are keen to see him up over a little bit more ground where we may find we get to dictate most starts.”
Rain Affair has travelled to Melbourne only once during his racing career, when he finished sixth behind Hay List in the 2012 Newmarket Handicap (1200m) at Flemington, but Pride has not ruled out a trip to Victoria for the 2013 Melbourne Spring Racing Carnival and appears confident his star galloper can finally breakthrough for a win at the highest level of racing.
“If he comes back to sprint distances yes because he could probably run in the Manikato but no decisions will be made for a little while yet,” the Warwick Farm-based trainer said about a possible trip to Melbourne.
“I think over the next twelve months one of the most important things is going to be the level of opposition that he comes up against.
“We have seen the retirement of a lot of the horses that have beaten him in the last twelve months.”
