Ruby to retire a centurion

Aged trotting mare Ruby Ridge (Majestic Son) will have her one hundredth and last start at the Waikato/BOP Harness meeting tomorrow night at Cambridge.

She races in the Betavet Buildagut Handicap Trot over 2200 metres and will run from a 35 metre handicap.

“It’s never easy at Cambridge off a mark, especially over 2200 metres. She likes 2700 because it can take her a bit of time to get into a race. She just missed the other night off 40 (metres). If she went the same sort of race she should be thereabouts. Later in her career her manners seem to be pretty good,” Vaughan Blanchard, who trains the mare with his father Peter said.  

Ruby Ridge began her racing career with Dave and Clare McGowan who raced her twenty seven times for one win.

Blanchard senior, who’s been a bloodstock agent for most of his life had the mare sold to clients, but the deal fell through.

“I’d always liked her but she’d been playing up at the start and didn’t have good manners. We had her sold to Australia but they backed out and we ended up with her. But it’s worked out good in the long run.”

Blanchard senior and stable client Peter Presley took over the ownership of Ruby Ridge.

“Peter was a huge owner for us in the last five to ten years but he’s since passed away so my wife (Amy) and I bought her off the estate to give her a few more starts and then carry on with a breeding career.”

She’s been with Peter and Vaughan since December 2021 and has won a further eleven races with nine of her wins being on the Cambridge circuit.

She’s run second in the Group Three Waikato Trotting Breeders Stakes and third in the Group Three Northern Breeders Stakes.

Last spring Ruby Ridge was served by Volstead and has raced in foal ever since, performing extremely well on the racetrack.

“We’re really excited. We’ve had one other (by Volstead) and she’s (She’s All Legs) doing a really good job.”

Since being in foal Ruby Ridge has won twice, been placed second five times and has had two third placings. She’s won stakes nearing $150,000.

Ruby Ridge is out of the Sundon mare Taylamade Dee which won six for John Dixie. The family extends back to Thriller Dee which won twenty four races including the Northern and New Zealand Trotting Derbys and New Zealand Trotting Free For All.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink