There’s more to Ripp than his last start defeat

Maybe he didn’t ‘Ripp’ in like connections were hoping he would.

Still leading Bathurst reinsman Doug Hewitt has warned his father Bernie’s stable harness racing star Ripp (Somebeachsomewhere) will be ready to go when the $2.1m TAB Eureka is contested in two weeks’ time.

Ripp was surprisingly beaten into fourth place at Menangle on Saturday night after looking to lead all the way.

“There’s been a couple asking how he’d go but I wasn’t too worried about his defeat,” said Doug, who will drive the horse in the Eureka.

“Being in front just doesn’t suit him.

“Put it this way, I don’t think we’ll be walking too many quarters in the Eureka.

“He just loves to follow speed and there should be plenty that night.

“We were a little disappointed, but if you watch the week before when he raced with a trail, got out late, came home in good sectionals and ran right through the line.

“He’s learning to run this mile and a half trip with ease.

“Now we’re going to the Eureka and if he gets a nice trail I reckon he’s right in the finish.”

Doug says his father tends to mollycoddle the stable’s other star, Jewel Melody, who won Saturday night’s $153,000 QBred Triad Final for three-year-old fillies at Brisbane’s Albion Park track.

“But Ripp’s my Jewel Melody,” said Doug.

“I look after him and spoil him a bit, the same way Dad does with Jewel Melody.

“I do everything with him, but he’s not a known front-runner and if anything, he gets a bit lost when he’s out in front.

“Given the right trail I still think he’ll be a contender.

“Now the draw will be massive . . . to see where we all end up. We’d like to draw as close as we can to the inside.

“We all know it will be a top-class race and just to be a part of it is great.

“We’re also there to compete and we think we’ve got a horse that can be competitive

“We wanted to give him three runs at Menangle.

“He still pulled up OK, his heart’s still good and he looks a million dollars.

“I’ve spoken with Wayne Loader [owner] and we knew it would be a struggle out in front on Saturday night . . . but we’ll be ready for the Eureka.

“If we can get a nice trail into it and get our shot late, we can be in the finish.”

by Michael Court, for HRNSW