Runlike the Rapids has bounced back from a poor showing at Bathurst last week to take out the $30,000 Star FM Class 1 Handicap (1300 metres) at the Dubbo Turf Club on Tuesday.
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Trained at Dubbo by Lee Lunn, Runlike The Rapids (Rachel Murray, $10.00) jumped to the front early alongside Pears (Melanie Bolwell, $12.00) and Feelin’ Hot (Tiffany Jeffries, $14.00).
Watta General (Mikayla Weir, $31) moved up around the outside to take the lead going into the turn, with the lead pack of Minamahal (Aaron Bullock, $3.60 favourite) and Runlike The Rapids pulling two lengths away from the chasers of Pears, Choppa (Andrew Banks, $26) and Bold Street Cat (Greg Ryan, $4.60).
Runlike the Rapids moved a nose in front on the inside with 800 metres left to race and had extended his lead to two lengths with 200 metres to go when the Mark Milton-trained Bold Street Cat launched his attack.
But Murray helped Runlike The Rapids find another gear to beat Bold Street Cat by half a length, while the Damien Lane-trained Orlando Jack (Mathew Cahill, $6.00) finished third.
Lunn said the Rapid Man x Ditzy gelding was right at home on the heavy 10 track, which had deterred a number of trainers after 28.6 millimetres fell at Dubbo over the weekend.
“Yeah, good, he’s honest and he tries all the time,” Lunn said.
“He jumps and he can put himself there and he handles the wet conditions so it’s good. Really suits him.
“I just said ‘Rachel, you know him, you ride him, just jump him out and put him where he’s happy,.”
The win follows a disappointing run at Bathurst’s Tyers Park last Tuesday, where he trailed the field by 8.3 lengths to finish second last in the Westco Class 1 Handicap (Scaled -0.5kg) (1100 metres).
Back on his home turf, he was looking a lot stronger, and was even good enough to break the drought for his trainer.
Lunn hasn’t had a win (excluding trials) in more than 12 months.
“It was a disappointing run at Bathurst the other day and I just couldn’t work it out,” Lunn said.
“We don’t know [what happened]. He jumped out and that’s where he stayed, last all the way and it’s not like him.
“I told the owners ‘he’s not usually like that’.
“And he’s worked good this week and I thought he would go good again today.”
Other Dubbo trainers enjoyed moderate success on the heavy track, with Michael Lunn’s Spirited Addition (Daniel Northey, $10.00) finishing runner-up in the Harpil Hotel Group Benchmark 55 Handicap (1300 metres), while Cindy Monaghan’s Trajectory (Anthony Cavallo, $9.00) ran third in the Aquawest Maiden Handicap (1400 metres).
