Rick Hore-Lacy is looking forward to a special spring with Chase The Rainbow.
The Caulfield trainer is hoping his promising grey stallion will help fill the gap left by Group 1 sprinter Toorak Toff.
Chase The Rainbow (4h Dash For Cash – Illusional by Redoute’s Choice) was super impressive during his one and only campaign last spring. Following two wins at Geelong, the Swettenham Stud graduate came to town for an eye-catching second to Specter in the LR Henry Bucks Stakes at Flemington.
Stepped up to 1600m, he powered home to claim the G2 Bill Stutt Stakes at Moonee Valley from Sabrage and Zabeelionaire. The placegetters franked the form when filling out the G1 SA Derby quinella later in the season.
Chase The Rainbow’s season was curtailed after he pulled up sore in the G1 Caulfield Guineas back in October. “He been back in work since June,” Hore-Lacy said. “And we’re not having any trouble with his joints.”
The Dash For Cash stallion has been nominated for the $2.65 million Caulfield Cup (2400m) on October 20 but Hore-Lacy won’t make any mission statements just yet. “He’s going extremely well and we will get a better idea of when to kick-off after a jump-out at Caulfield later this month.”
Chase The Rainbow has a pedigree that Hore-Lacy knows only too well. He trained Dash For Cash to G1 victories in the Australian Guineas and Futurity Stakes. And he also prepared Redoute’s Choice to G1 triumphs over Testa Rossa in the Blue Diamond Stakes and Caulfield Guineas.
His latest Group 1 candidate was a $90,000 buy from the Swettenham Stud draft at the 2010 Inglis Melbourne Premier yearling sale. “He was an outstanding yearling,” Hore-Lacy recalled. “He’s slightly bigger than Dash For Cash and their temperaments are alike.”
Dash For Cash finished in the Australian Top 10 for 3YO winners last year. Chase The Rainbow topped that list which comprised 38 winners of 52 races and more than $1.22 million in prizemoney.
Dash For Cash (Secret Savings) will stand for an ‘early-bird’ fee of $6,600 (inc gst) at Swettenham in 2012.