Roweiner Stakes his Claim as Cluden’s 1000m King

It was a case of stick to what you do best for Roweiner’s Dance at Cluden Park on Tuesday - or at least for the time being.

The flying son of Sidestep switched back to his pet 1000m distance and breezed to his 11th win over the Townsville short-course in a powerhouse display.

Roweiner’s Dance landed his third win from three rides for apprentice Gabby Semmens and clocked up the second leg of a winning double for Wulguru trainer Bill Kenning.

He also landed the money with habitual slow starter Kidston in the Ladbrokes BM60 Hcp (1609m).

A jubilant Kenning said he had reverted to the 1000m for Roweiner’s Dance after a test at 1200m last start ended in defeat and injury for the talented gelding.

“He’s a good horse but I went to plan B last start to get him over a trip, I got him out over 1200m and it never worked out at all,” Kenning said.

“We tried to hold him up, but he raced fiercely and he pulled his plate off and jumped on his heel. It was really bad and that’s why he hasn’t raced for a few months.

“So since then I thought well, just go back to square one where he’s won all of his races over 1000m. Put the blinkers on and get a couple of easy kills for him.

“I still think down the track he can win races over further than a 1000m but at the moment he’s doing what he’s doing.

“I think in superior company over further, where the speed is on and he can take a sit - I’m looking forward to that.”

Roweiner’s Dance and last year’s Guineas winner Beau Rain were brilliant in their two and three-year-old seasons and Kenning is confident they can continue their winning form through the upcoming carnival.

“I’ve seen it so many times where they can win 2yo races and go bang, bang, but when they come back they don’t go on.

“They need to take the next step and a lot of them can’t.

“This bloke and Beau Rain have both done it and are both going on with it.

Beau Rain will have a jump out at Cluden on Wednesday and most likely resume after a lengthy spell in a 1200m Open Hcp at Cluden on May 16 with a possible Cups test during the winter. 

Brilliant gelding Tambo’s Justice kept his unbeaten record intact with another classy win but not after a round of musical chairs with jockeys.

The Georgie Holt-trained Tambo’s Justice led throughout under 61.5kg from the outside barrier to claim his fourth straight win in the Great Northern Brewing Co. BM60 Hcp (1200m).

The son of Justify was ridden by Ryan Wiggins in his first three wins, but was replaced by Ash Butler because of other commitments to the Stephen Massingham stable.

But in a race day twist, Butler was indisposed with a severe case of dehydration after race 4 and Holt’s husband jockey Aidan was a last minute call-up.

Holt, who rides Tambo’s Justice in his work and barrier trials produced a strong front running ride to win.

But he wasn’t breaking his neck to take the mount after the four-year-old had performed poorly for him in jump outs and trials.

“We tried to get a few real jockeys first, Ryan and the Ash, but when you’re running out of choices sometimes you have to have a go yourself,” a modest Holt said with a grin.

“We chased Ryan a few times, because if there’s a horse made for an aggressive rider like him it’s this bloke. Then we booked Ash, who’s a close friend, and when he went down I said to Georgie ‘alright I’ll ride him’.

“I know how good he is but the only times I’ve been on him apart from his work is in trials and jump outs and, honestly, he’s been just flat out ordinary.

“I was thinking he just might not go for me and I didn’t want to be the one to spoil his winning record.

“He’s obviously just an absolute race day horse because when we went around to the gates I was like ‘alright we’re on here’, he felt so good.

“I’ll sleep a bit better at night knowing that he will run for me in a race.

“Now that he’s going to step up in trip I think that’s the closest they’ll get to him for a while.

“I think he’s a machine. He’s obviously going to race better class horses, but he’ll step up in trip and probably drop in weight.”

On a day for doubles Wulguru trainer Steve Royes continued his stable’s great run with wins with the in-form Turn Bird and the promising That’s It.

Hard working jockey Nathan Thomas landed an early double with wins on the Ricky Ludwig-trained Recruiter and the Scott Cooper-trained The Honey Badger