Rafaello's back to win more races
Le Grange-trained 5YO third-time lucky after a spell
Rafaello, the talented horse plagued with some problems, has come right again and should go on to win more races.
Race-fit after two creditable runs from his second half-year spell, the Ricardo Le Grange-trained five-year-old owned by South African businessman Alfredo Crabbia of Rocket Man fame made it third-time lucky at Kranji on Sunday.
Victory - his eighth in 29 starts - came in the day's richest event, the $100,000 Class 2 race over 1,200m, and it ended his sequence of outs. His last success was in the Group 3 Garden City Trophy on Aug 21, 2016.
Between that Group victory and Sunday's win, Rafaello failed to score from 12 starts but was placed several times, including the Group 3 Rocket Man Sprint in March last year, after which he was rested for about six months.
Rafaello came out from his second break on April 1 this year to lead in the Group 3 Rocket Man Sprint but petered out to finish fourth to Aramco. He then went with the pace in a Kranji Stakes A race over 1,400m three weeks later and was probably a victim of the second-run syndrome. He dropped back to finish seventh to Preditor.
With those two runs under his belt, a race-fit Rafaello bounced back to greet the judge on Sunday, with a victory that suggested more to come now that he has come right again.
Ridden by Glen Boss, who replaced the indisposed Michael Rodd, Rafaello tracked pacemaker White Hunter from the get-go and had the leader covered not long after entering the straight for a three-quarter-length win in 1min 09.71sec.
"Yeah, he had a great obstacle. He had chips in both fetlock joints taken out and, you know, I must say a big thanks to the guys at the turf club, the vets - Dr Bronte Forbes and Dr Dan Shaw - for assisting everything," said Le Grange.
"To Fred, thanks for having patience, to keep him going. His first-up run was a great one in a Group race and the second one was the proverbial second run after a layoff and, you know, everything worked out nicely for him today.
"Once he went up front, Bossy was just great. He switched him off nicely and, top of the straight, he just wasn't going to be run down."
Le Grange wasn't one who wished to benefit at the expense of others but, when Boss was available after his mount Al Green was scratched, Le Grange didn't waste time to name him as Rodd's replacement rider.
"You know, you never wish on somebody getting a horse scratched and, when I saw Al Green scratched, I was the happiest person to secure Bossy for this horse. Obviously, my heart goes out to Nooresh (Juglall) as well. He would have been riding the horse but, unfortunately, he was suspended on the day."
Turning to Rafaello, who has amassed about $550,000 in stakes, he said: "For this little horse, he's just one of the stable's soldiers. You know, he keeps coming back and he's got that never-say-die attitute and I'm happy and proud."
Boss reckoned Rafaello was a race-fit horse and any rider would have won on it.
"Of course, he's a lovely ride, you know. His two runs back from a spell had been good and, today obviously, he's a fit racehorse," said the Australian.
"He's got that bunny to chase - which he really enjoyed - and I knew he would be really strong to the line, my horse, because he's fully fit.
"Nooresh would have ridden him but he was suspended and Roddy got crooked in the morning but, anyway, it was just a steering job, so it won't matter who rode him today."
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