Renegade a rising star

Benny Hill has trained some very good harness racing pacers including Monkey King and Bailey’s Dream, so could Renegade, (Captaintreacherous) the winner of today’s $25,000 Cheviot Businesses Cup be his next good horse?

“Ah yeah. He’s probably the best one in the barn. I’m giving him every chance. I’d rather have him in the New Zealand Cup than the Junior FFA. He’s got to tell me and what he did today he’s heading in the right direction,” Hill said.

Renegade was purchased by Tony Hickman at the Auckland Yearling Sale and he brought a number of other high profile owners into the ownership group.

Renegade announced his arrival in his grade when he finished second to Mo’unga in the Group Two Summer Cup and third behind Pinseeker and Rakero Rocket in the Group Three Autumn Free For All.

After a safe beginning today from the thirty metre handicap, driver Craig Ferguson settled the gelding in the last half dozen.

“He stepped him really well. Almost too well but that’s a good problem.”

When Tempo Warrior rushed forward with a lap and a half to run, Ferguson hopped onto his back and at the winning post with a lap to run, he was in front.

“He got on the right ones back and got to the top.”

Turning in, he had a nice break on the capacity field and the four year old went down to the line to win by one and three quarter lengths from favourite Xlendi.

RENEGADE REPLAY

“Craig said he did it nice. It didn’t surprise me what he did today. I thought he could do it. It was probably the way he did it.”

The time was 3-16.3 with the last 800 metres cut out in 55.7.

“He’s race fit now. He’s taken a couple of runs, a big boy, he takes a bit of work. He’s in a 64 inch hopple.”

Today’s win off thirty metres was the gelding’s seventh in just eighteen starts.

“He seems to be getting better with racing. I said to the owners that we’re not going to Auckland, he’s not ready for that. We’ll stay down here and we might as well have a go at the Country Cups Championship. He had to race today, next Sunday and at Rangiora. We might not make it, but what we are doing is making him into a racehorse by giving him the right chances to be in the right race on Cup Day.”

For complete race results, click here.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink