By Jonny Turner
Outstanding filly Raklou will make her return to racing a little later than first planned at Wyndham today.
The Peter Hunter trained two-year-old showed outstanding talent as well as plenty of grit and determination when stringing together three wins in the autumn.
Raklou looked destined for top-level racing in the spring and it is hoped that race 1 at Wyndham will be a springboard for that.
But not everything has gone completely to plan this time in and today’s outing will give Hunter a real line on where Rakalou will go next.
“It looks a nice starting point for her, she was supposed to go to the Sires Stakes heat last week but I felt she wasn’t quite ready for it,” the trainer said,
“We have got to start somewhere and this race will give us a line on where she goes next.”
“If she races well we will look at the Ashburton heat next.”
Raklou has warmed up for her return with two workouts.
The filly hit the line stylishly in the first of those before trialling a little plainly at Ascot Park.
“I was really happy with her first workout, but she wasn’t quite as sharp in her next one,” Hunter said.
“But it was a terrible day so we can forgive her for that.”
“I have been reasonably happy with her since then.”
Raklou’s relative Raknruin looks the main threat to favourite in race 1.
Raknruin was wiped out of her last start by a breaking runner when she headed to last week’s Sires Stakes heat for two-year-old fillies at Addington.
Hunter lines up two more chances on the Wyndham card and both are likely to need some luck from tricky draws.
Henry Maguire won’t be able to use his gate speed after drawing the second row in race 9, while Emerald Abbey will have to overcome drawing the outside of the front row in race 3.
“Henry will be relying on the horses in front of him, it is a shame he didn’t draw the front because he has got good gate speed.”
“He had a workout last week and he has improved with that run.”
“Emerald Abbey has a tough draw but it is a pretty even field and she’s no inferior to a lot of them, but she will need some luck from the draw.”
Punters won’t get the chance to see impressive debut winner Itoje at Wyndham today after he was scratched out of race 6.
The pacer is expected back at the races soon as he was taken out as a precaution by new trainer Nathan Williamson following a minor issue.
