Local trainer Jenny Graham has ambitious plans for classy filly Rebel Dancer following her all-the-way win in the Lake Cathie Bowling and Recreation Club Benchmark 55 (1106m) at Port Macquarie yesterday.
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Rebel Dancer will now go to the $100,000 Magic Millions Three Year Old (1200m) at Wyong on Thursday, December 20 and if she wins that race will be aimed at the $1 million Magic Millions Three Year Old at the Gold Coast in January.
“She is a filly I have a big opinion of,“ Graham said.
“I think she is well up to the class of the race at Wyong and if she wins that will deserve a trip to the Gold Coast.
“She does everything right and is such a pleasure to train.
“We have had the Wyong race in the back of our mind for some little time but she needed this run today to top her off.
“She will go to Wyong without another run.”
Graham’s apprentice Kassie Furness did a first-rate job, allowing Rebel Dancer to settle comfortably in front with a narrow lead before kicking away in the straight to win easily without being pushed out and running a race record.
Rebel Dancer has had five starts for three wins and yesterday’s run was only her second from a spell.
The Wayne Wilkes-trained Rattle Creek will be gradually stepped up in distance again after leading all the way to narrowly win the Kendall Services and Citizens Benchmark 60 (1506m).
Rattle Creek, ridden by Andrew Gibbons, just held on to beat the fast finishing French Chimes (Matt Bennett) although Gibbons told Wilkes the horse was never going to get beaten.
“Once we turned for home he always had the race won,” Gibbons said.
The win followed a close second behind Kastelos at Port Macquarie on November 16 when the horse again tried to lead all the way only to be caught by Kastelos on the line.
Wilkes said the horse’s next step would be to an 1800 metre “if I can find one” then on to 2000 metres.
“He hasn’t won beyond 1600 metres but I have always thought he would get a trip,” Wilkes said.
“He came back from a spell bigger and stronger and he did run third in the race over 2530 metres at Taree last February.
The cream came to the top in terms of breeding when the former Victorian Satan’s Chariot (Peter Graham) won the Wauchope RSL Club Maiden (1206m) at his first start for new trainer John Sprague.
Satan’s Chariot is a half-brother to the former champion Melbourne galloper Whobegotyou, the winner of more than $3.2 million in prize money and a multiple group winning son of Street Cry.
Satan’s Chariot was placed twice on Victorian provincial and country tracks before being bought by the Port Macquarie based Bucking Brumbies syndicate.
“His work had been good but I didn’t quite know what to expect,” Sprague said.