Straight-forward spring return from Red Card

[Wandering Eyes]

Multiple stakes-winning mare Red Card (Ribchester) made the perfect return to racing when successful in the Precise Air Handicap (1100m) at Rosehill on Saturday.

A daughter of Haunui Farm stallion Ribchester, Red Card brought up a treble for trainer James Cummings, who had earlier sent out Cylinder (Exceed and Excel) to win the Gr.2 Run To The Rose (1200m) and Golden Mile (Astern) to win the Gr.2 Theo Marks Stakes (1300m).

Ridden by Adam Hyeronimus, Red Card bounced straight to the lead and was never threatened, going on to score by just under a length from Smashing Eagle (Shalaa).

“It is great to see Red Card back,” Cummings said. “She was put away after only three runs last preparation and she went to the paddock full of energy and full of health.

“She has come back full of beans and feeling great, so this is a great foundation for the rest of her campaign.”

With James McDonald side-lined by injury, Hyeronimus made the most of his opportunity on the $2.50 favourite.

“She had trialled up well, she has got very good gate speed and it was just important that she jumped clean today, and she did,” Hyeronimus said.

“After that, it was basically race over. We got to the front nice and comfortably. She relaxed well and travelled right up well into the straight.

“I know she is probably going to improve off the run so it was good that I was able to hold her together right into the straight and extend her late.”

Red Card won both the Listed Denise’s Joy Stakes (1100m) and Listed Queensland Day Stakes (1200m) through the Winter of her three-year-old season.

The talented mare is one of seven stakes winners worldwide for Ribchester, a four-time Group One winning miler, who has sired 19 winners from 36 runners in the Southern Hemisphere.

The son of Iffraaj shuttles to Haunui Farm, where he will stand for a fee of $12,000+GST this spring.

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