Roweiner's Kicks Off D Day Campaign

Crack three-year-old Roweiner’s Dance will start his countdown to Townsville’s richest sprint when he resumes at Cluden Park on Tuesday, but another city tilt is still in the works.

Wulguru trainer Bill Kenning says the gun young sprinter is primed to show his class in a first-up assignment in the Hygain 3YO Hcp (1000m).

Kenning has the Ladbrokes Cleveland Bay Handicap, held on Ladbrokes Townsville Cup day, 3 August, as the Sidestep gelding’s main mission, but he may again venture to Brisbane if all goes to plan.

Roweiner’s Dance hasn’t raced since he followed two failed runs in Brisbane with a brilliant last to first win at Cluden under 62.5kg on December 2.

It was the first time the eight time winner raced without blinkers and came from off the pace, and justified Kenning’s belief the best was yet to come.

“He’s up where it hurts now with the weight but this prep is D Day to find out if he can match it with the big boys, the older horses,” Kenning said.

“This is a stepping a stone. Everything is on target at the moment and I couldn’t be happier with him.

“He had a nice trial. It was just a pipe opener. He didn’t run any time at all but he was probably only going half pace too. 

“He will race without the blinkers right through unless he gets too casual. For now, we’ll just leave them off him.

“All he wanted to do was hit the ground and run early days but that’s certainly not the plan now. 

“We’ll back off and ride him a bit colder and that’s when he’ll get over a bit of ground I’m sure.

“He’s his normal self and pretty fresh and I expect to him to be very hard to beat.”

Kenning has booked visiting Victorian apprentice Lachlan Overall for his 2kg claim which will reduce Roweiner’s Dance’s top weight to 61.5kg.

With the favourable draw in barrier 2, Roweiner’s Dance is set to start a short-priced favourite for his return.

Although the gelding failed in Brisbane in his last campaign Kenning is keen to again test the three-year-old against city class if all goes well in his first two starts back.

Last year Kenning and his partner Julie Bell knocked back big offers for Roweiner’s Dance who they bred themselves from their former good mare Roweiner who was a winner up to 2000m.

But they consider selling for the right offer if the young galloper’s future in the north is limited because of big weights.

“There’s a plan, but we’ll see how he goes on Tuesday and go from there,” Kenning said.

“If he pulls up well I might back him up the following week in another 3yo Hcp over 1200m with a claimer.

“On the 18th (May) there’s a 3yo set weights race in Brisbane over 1350m where he comes back to 57kg.

“He has to win well both starts here for us to be thinking of going there and I’d probably take him down myself. You’ve got to have a plan and if everything goes well that’s where I’d go.

“I’d like to give him one run down there, give him one more try because I’m quite sure he was up to them. He went to the front and led in those two runs there last year and I think you just put a line through the form.

“Ridden back off the pace, a few pairs back, I’m sure he’ll run a good 1350m.

“He’s probably buggered up here weight wise other than in a race like the Cleveland Bay.

“I’d consider selling him if we got the right offer, but he’d have to show he’s up to Brisbane class I think before he’d draw that sort of interest again.

“It’s a tough one. You dream of getting a decent horse and when you get one you have to think about moving them on because they get weighted out of it up here.”

Tuesday’s seven event Cluden Park card kicks off at 1.40pm.

Pictured: Roweiner's Dance blasts his opposition with a booming finish at Cluden in December with jockey Jeffrey Felix aboard. The classy three-year-old kicks off his carnival campaign on Tuesday.

See the racing calendar for upcoming race days.

Tony's Top Tips

Best: R5. Roweiner's Dance 

Best Value: R1. Sosthenes