A wet Randwick track on Saturday will enhance the chances of Queensland mudlark Rudy in the Group 2 $175,000 Inglis Villiers (1600m).
A wet Randwick track will be a big advantage for Rudy in the Villiers. Photo by Daniel Costello.
Randwick has been rated a Heavy 8 on Friday morning following 43.2mm of rain falling over the last seven days with forecasters predicted more showers to fall today and Saturday.
Brisbane’s leading jockey Luke Tarrant says the more rain the better for Rudy who has won four times from five starts on a heavy track.
“I’m praying for enough rain for them to still run but not too much so they can’t,” Tarrant told the Sportsman.
“Getting on a wet track gives us an advantage.”
Tarrant has only been aboard Rudy at his last two starts for a second over 1350m at Doomben on November 1 followed by a sensational win when the Helen Page trained four year old came from three wide at the tail of the field to score a one and half lengths victory in the Listed $100,000 Tattersall’s Recognition Stakes (1630m) at Doomben a fortnight ago.
The young jockey was most impressed with the win and is warning the Sydneysiders to sit up and take notice as he and Rudy both make their first appearance at Randwick.
“A lot of people have dismissed him and that makes me angry to be honest,” Tarrant said.
“The run he put in last start was enormous. There wasn’t a horse that came from behind all day. He came from three deep and last, circled the field and bolted in.”
“I’m coming there to win, I have one hundred per cent faith in the horse and I think I can win the race.”
“I don’t want to see it any other way.”
Tarrant is still riding in the apprentice’s ranks with a 1.5kgs claim, but heads the Brisbane jockey’s 2014 – 2015 premiership table with twenty-nine win, six ahead of his nearest rival Jim Byrne on twenty-three.
But things were not always rosy for the young rider who had to re-invent himself this year after spending too much time on the sidelines through careless riding suspension in 2013.
The wake-up call came twelve months ago when the twenty-year-old was suspended for six weeks for causing a fall at Doomben,his tenth suspension for the year.
“It wakes you up about the safety of the other riders but it also takes away your career for six weeks,” Tarrant said.
“People can forget about you in that time and I thought if I kept doing this I won’t have a job soon.”
“It kept spiralling out of control so I had to straighten up.”
Rudy is on the second line of betting at $6.50 for the Villiers with Ladbrokes.com.au just behind fellow Queenslander Sir Moments at $4.80.
Rose Of Choice, Estonian Princess and the Chris Waller trained Strawberry Boy all share the next line of betting at $7 with Festival Stakes winner I’m Imposing at $10.
