Photo: Race Images South
By Jess de Lautour, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
Riccarton trainer Terri Rae will be looking to New Zealand Cup Week with more confidence following the standout performances of Double O’ Seven and promising filly Lunvwar in the feature events at Ashburton on Monday.
Classy five-year-old Double O’ Seven claimed the first of the features on the rescheduled card in the McCrea Painters & Decorators Ashburton Cup (1600m), travelling comfortably one-off-the-fence in fourth under Kylie Williams behind a strong tempo set by Ears Back.
The Belardo gelding headed the pacemaker alongside tough mare Second Thought and the pair went to battle at the 200m, Double O’ Seven getting the better of Shane Kennedy and Anna Furlong’s charge to the post to score by 1-1/4 lengths.
“He went super, he’s a lovely horse,” Rae said.
“Kylie rode him super. She’s had two rides on him for two wins and she gets on with him really well.”
Bred and part-owned by Brent and Cherry Taylor of Trelawney Stud, Double O’ Seven joined Rae’s stable during the autumn/winter period from Tony Pike’s Cambridge barn and won in his Southern debut at Oamaru in June.
“The owners were just looking for a little bit softer company for him down here, he had a spell before he came down and he’s going well,” Rae said.
The victory took Double O’ Seven to five wins from 16 starts, and Rae potentially intents to send the gelding straight into the Gr.3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) on the middle day of Cup Week, where he has shortened to $21 with TAB bookmakers.
In the following race stablemate Luvnwar recorded an eye-catching third in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) behind the favoured Te Akau pair in Star of Justice and Viva Vienna. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
