Ruakaka trainer Kenny Rae has a great record campaigning horses in the South Island and he is hoping that will continue this spring when he heads to Riccarton with Saturday winner Illicit Dreams (NZ) (Vancouver).
The well-travelled four-year-old had been in great form on her home track over winter, placing in all four of her starts, including a last start third behind Group One winner Crocetti (NZ) (Zacinto) and Group Three winner Master Fay (Deep Field).
Rae went into Saturday’s Mountfield Quarry (1100m) quietly confident, and that was duly rewarded with an all the way victory by his mare in the hands of Waikato hoop Jasmine Fawcett.
“She has got a wee bit of class about her,” Rae said. “She is a lovely horse and is easy to do anything with. I have got great partners in the horse with me.”
Fawcett shared Rae’s confidence heading into the race and was pleased to get home by 1-3/4 lengths over fellow Ruakaka runner Patricia.
“She loves this track, she can gallop, and she got the job done,” Fawcett said.
“She ran into a couple of nice horses last start, one of those being Crocetti, so I knew the form was really good today and she performed well.”
Rae hasn’t been afraid of travelling with Illicit Dreams in the past, having campaigned in the Central Districts and Canterbury in previous seasons, winning the Listed Champagne Stakes (1200m) at Riccarton as a juvenile last year before returning to the Christchurch venue last spring where she was runner-up in the Listed Canterbury Belle Stakes (1200m) behind Viva Vienna (NZ) (All Too Hard).
The Northland horseman is now contemplating a return to Riccarton over spring with his charge, with an eye towards New Zealand Cup week.
“I think I might have a shot at the Stewards (Listed, 1200m) or something like that later on, but we will just take it one race at a time,” he said.
While looking forward to heading to Riccarton with Illicit Dreams once more, Rae said he would ideally like to avoid the country’s leading barn.
“She travelled down to Wanganui as a two-year-old and just got beaten by Te Akau (Sky On Fire), she went down a year later to Riccarton and got beaten by Te Akau again (Viva Vienna), so when they are not in the race I have got a chance,” he quipped.
