By Jonny Turner
All eyes will be on hot favourite Raupunga Lad when he debuts at Winton on Thursday.
After tearing up the trials track, the three-year-old will step out for the first time in race 6 for trainer Brent McIntyre and driver Craig Ferguson.
After looking smart in his trials in February and March, McIntyre has been forced to take a patient approach with the three-year-old which he hopes will pay off on Thursday.
“He would have been racing sooner but he got a bit crook so we chucked him out and brought him back in.”
“He seems really good now, so we are going to see how he measures up at the races.”
The closing sectionals Raupunga Lad has been running in his recent trials and workouts suggest he will take a power of beating on Thursday.
McIntyre knows his horse has plenty of ability and now just wants Raupunga Lad to handle the pressures of race day so that he can show it.
“He is ready to rock, we would expect him to go a pretty good race.”
“He seems to have all attributes there but it is the old story, it is easy to say it, but it is a different story to go out there on race day and do it.”
“But he is a pretty nice horse and hopefully he will handle it well.”
McIntyre takes two mares to Thursday’s meeting that both look to have genuine each-way claims.
Redneck Woman brings fair form to race 9 but she closed off well in a recent Wyndham workout suggesting she is ready to run a better race.
“She has been going ordinary, she has got a heap of gate speed but she seems to undo herself.”
“We have put fixed earplugs in her and we have changed her work around.”
“We have put the hopples away and tried to keep her happy and she seems well.”
Fine By Me also looks an each-way threat in race 4 after her gritty effort to stick on for fourth behind Katherine after sitting parked in her last start at Wyndham.
“There were three pretty nice ones in front of her and she wasn’t too far away.”
“Spirit Of Arion looks the horse to beat but she should go a good race.”
Craig Ferguson drives Fine By Me and Raupunga Lad with Mark Hurrell to do the steering behind Redneck Woman.