JJ Rayner will bid to follow in the footsteps of her father Evan with rugged stayer Lord Spencer (NZ) (Zed) at the Riccarton carnival.
She has her sights set on Saturday’s Avon City Sydenham Hurdles (3100m) as a lead into the Hospitality New Zealand Canterbury Grand National Hurdles (4200m) seven days later.
Rayner senior completed the feature jumping double in 1990 with Mister Divinsky (NZ) (Lavinsky), a dashing performer who remained unbeaten in six starts over the smaller fences, while Van Winkle also placed in both events.
His daughter JJ can’t fault Lord Spencer’s preparation ahead of the weekend and is also delighted stablemate Hacksaw Ridge (NZ) (Power) made the field for the Gr.3 Winning Edge Presentations Winter Cup (1600m).
Both horses enjoyed a smooth trip south to Riccarton from their Wanganui base earlier this week.
“They both travelled nicely and have eaten well so everything is all good with them,” she said.
“With Lord Spencer, it would be nice if he could do a Mister Divinsky but I don’t know if we can beat (favourite) Berry The Cash but we’ll be giving it a good go.”
A son of Zed, Lord Spencer placed in both the Awapuni Hurdle (3000m) and the Waikato Hurdle (3200m) before finishing fourth in the Hawke’s Bay Hurdle (3100m) and was a last-start sixth in the Wellington Hurdle (3200m).
“He’s been racing well and we’ve got Lemmy Douglas back on, he started the season on him but then had to jump off to ride on the flat at Wellington when we went to Te Rapa,” Rayner said.
“The horse had a hard run last time when he covered a lot of ground, but he recovered really well and his work since has been great.
“The further he goes the better he’ll be so the distance of the National will suit him.
“We’re hoping he can be right there on Saturday, he always hits a flat spot with a round to go and you just have to leave him alone, the more you bustle him the more piggy he gets.
“You just have to let him do his thing and then he’ll pick up again and work into it.”
Winter Cup contender Hacksaw Ridge has already made his mark at black type level with a runner-up finish on his home track in last season’s Listed Ag Training Stakes (1600m).
More recently, the Power gelding ran second in the Poverty Bay Cup (1600m) at Hastings and was then fifth in the Whyte Handicap (1600m) at Trentham after interference at barrier rise.
“We were thinking he may not get in, but he has so that’s great and with 53kg we were lucky enough to get Kevin Kalychurun on him,” Rayner said.
“He’s got that light weight, and he likes a bad track so he might just be in with a show.”
