Hewitt lets him Ripp in $100,000 Group 1

They thought they were going to win “Bathurst” with their special pacer Ripp last year but that was not the case for the Hewitt family.

Wind the clock forward 12 months and the Hewitts got their “Bathurst” win with the talented son of Somebeachsomewhere in the $100,000 Group 1 Gold Chalice tonight.

It sounds simple in writing, however, this last year has been far from that for this three-year-old pacer.

Preparing for a tilt at Bathurst’s Gold Crown last year, Ripp won his debut smartly by more than 23m yet a paddock incident put him in the sidelines for more than a year.

Making his racing return just this month, Ripp had three starts back leading into tonight’s dominant victory.

Driven by Doug Hewitt, he let Ripp do just that when finding the lead with the gelding.

The quarters were slick in 27.6, 30.8, 26.9 and 27.9 seconds and over the finish line, Ripp put a 16m margin on his rivals.

He stopped the clock in a career best 1:53.1 for the 1730m journey, giving Hewitt his first Group 1 win.

“This is super,” said Hewitt.

“I was gutted because I thought he was my Group 1 winner last year and it’s great to just get him back in a year in a race like this.

“To have all my family and friends here is great and I heard them cheer when turning from home, we’ll be enjoying this win for a few days.”

Ripp is trained by Hewitt’s father Bernie and raced by the stable’s loyal owners Wayne and Julie Loader.

“Full credit to Wayne and Bern to get this horse back to where he is,” said Hewitt.

“The vets had more hope of his injuries than what anyone else did.”

Ripp has now had five starts for four wins and a third placing.

“He’s starting to demand respect and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for this horse,” said Hewitt.

To view the results from Bathurst on Friday click here.

By Amanda Rando for Harnesslink