Wednesday, 22 February 2012: Gai Waterhouse two-year-old colt Rampaging did not exactly live up to his name when winning the Super Saver Maiden Plate (1250m) at Canterbury on Wednesday, but he might when he matures and takes in what racing is all about.
The $1.60 NSW TAB favourite was slow away from the barriers and stable jockey Nash Rawiller had to settle at the rear of the seven-horse field to bide his time while Steel Academy and Glyn Schofield, and Bradman and Nathan Berry, took the field to the turn.
Rawiller then went five wide to loop the field off the turn into the straight with Rampaging quickly passing most of the runners. Steel Academy had dropped off the pace leaving Bradman out in front, but Rampaging went by with 150m to run.
The colt then started to run about and it took Rawiller's strong riding to straighten him and then extend to the line. Eventually Rampaging got the idea and he went away to win with a margin of 1 3/4L, but it could have been more if he had run first, jumped with the field, and second run straight and true to the line.
Bradman kept second with Mottled and Kerrin McEvoy third, the margin 1 1/4L. The time was 1.15.31 on the Slow 6 track with the final 600m in 37.64.
“He got back there, but once Nash woke him up there from the 500m he got round them pretty well and finished off strongly, but he did give us a bit of cause for concern there,” said Mark Newnham, foreman for Waterhouse.
“Gai said that she will leave him for three or four weeks and then pick out another race for him to allow him to get over that. I am sure he will be better suited when he gets up in distance,” he said.
“He lost his rudder there for a moment, but when I put his mind back on the job you could see that he is a different horse and runs really well,” said Rawiller.
“He is a horse with very good ability but to me he feels like he will be a better three-year-old so what we get from him at the moment is a bonus,” he said.
