Until last month, Bruce Tapper had never trained a black-type winner. On Saturday, he has two decent chances to win a Group One classic.
Tapper heads the South Island assault on the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m) at Riccarton with Specialty and Redmond, both horses he bred himself at his Clearview Park property near Timaru.
Specialty and Redmond emerged as contenders for the race when finishing first and second in the Gr.3 Barneswood Farm Stakes (1400m) at Ashburton on October 15 – his first black type victory as a trainer.
“You wait all your life to have horses like this,” said Tapper, who trains in partnership with Varma Ramhit.
“Redmond was under offer at one stage but that fell through, and I’ve decided no more, I’m just going to race them. What else am I going to do, other than just pay the mortgage? It’s not as much fun as racing them.”
Redmond was the more fancied of the pair going into the Barneswood Farm Stakes but Tapper knew Specialty, who started at odds of $23.90, was the better prospect of the pair.
However, he said the form won’t necessarily work out the same at Riccarton.
“This time I’d say vice versa,” Tapper said. “The mile will probably suit Specialty, but Redmond’s probably come on more from the race than Specialty.
“Redmond had a hard race first-up over 1000m back in September, then he didn’t get all favours in his next race (a Rating 75 1200m event at Riccarton on October 1), and his third one was the Barneswood.”
Tapper said he was confident both horses would stay 1600m comfortably, and that both would handle improved ground.
“Toe-in would be perfect, but it will probably be firmer than that. They will be fine as long as it’s not rock hard,” he said. “It’s meant to blow like hell Thursday or Friday, which could dry it out more than we want, but hopefully it’s still not too firm.
“We’re not going in cocky thinking we’re going to win the race, but they’re both working well, so we’re in with a chance, aren’t we?”
Specialty was rated an $11 chance on New Zealand TAB futures markets on Wednesday, while Redmond was at odds of $31.
Specialty, a son of Rip Van Winkle, is out of the Captain Rio mare Rio Tennille, who Tapper bought for $4800 at the 2014 New Zealand Bloodstock National Weanling, Broodmare and Mixed Bloodstock sale because she was a half-sister to Five Kings, a 10-race winner he was racing at the time. Redmond’s dam Ruby Red was a $5500 buy at the National Yearling Sale in 2011.
Both mares have visited White Robe Lodge stallions this year; Rio Tennille to Ancient Spirit and Ruby Red to Redmond’s sire Ghibellines.
Though he hasn’t won at the top level as a trainer, Tapper isn’t unfamiliar with good gallopers. His father Hec Tapper was associated with a number of good horses as an owner and trainer, racing top horses like Wellington Cup winner Big Gamble and Telegraph Handicap winner Extra Flash, while Bruce and his wife Karen owned the top 1980s sprinter-miler Clear Gold, a dual Group One winner.
The Guineas pair won’t be the only runners for Tapper and Ramhit on Saturday, as they are also set to run Global Beauty in a Rating 65 1200m event.
“She was meant to start the other day but had a stone bruise. She didn’t actually miss any work but was feeling it too much to take her to the races,” Tapper said.
“She’s all good but she won’t want a hard track.”
