Richard Stomper set for Group 1 audition at Riccarton

[Wandering Eyes]

Richard Stomper will take his place in Saturday’s North Canterbury Cup (2000m) at Riccarton. (Photo: Race Images South)

A trip north to Auckland next month is in the offing for Richard Stomper when he heads to Riccarton on Saturday to contest the North Canterbury Cup (2000m).

The five-win gelding holds a nomination for the Group 1 Livamol Classic (2040m) at Ellerslie on October 18, and his connections are keen to see him contest the $550,000 feature if he performs well this weekend.

“If he runs in the top four, we would still be keen to go to the Livamol,” trainer Stephanie Faulkner said.

“It would be very tough in the Livamol, but everyone is keen to give it a crack, he has a few owners that are keen to head up there.”

The six-year-old son of El Roca kicked-off his preparation with a bang when winning first-up over a mile at his home track of Phar Lap Raceway earlier this month, however, he sustained an injury shortly after which led to a few quiet days in the interim.

“He got a bit of an injury that night when he got home,” Faulkner said. “He was playing around in the yard and he cut his knee. It wasn’t a serious injury, more of a cosmetic thing, but he did require stitches.

“He had three or four days a bit easier than he needed to have. He is probably a gallop short, but you never know in these races.”

While his connections are keen to head north, if he performs below expectations, Faulkner has a plan b in mind.

“Failing that (Livamol), he will probably freshen-up and we will put a late nomination for the mile on the middle day of Cup Week.”

That mile race is the Group 3 Join TAB Racing Club Mile (1600m), which he was unplaced in last year.

Faulkner said he has matured a lot since that run and she was buoyed by his first-up performance.

“The penny hasn’t totally dropped with him, but it is looking a bit better this time in,” she said.

“I like his bravery. When that other horse eyeballed him the other day and he fought back, it’s usually the sign of a good horse.”

Richard Stomper will be joined in his race this weekend by stablemate Smooth Operator, who will back up from his sixth placed performance over a mile at Timaru on Wednesday.

“He ate all of his tea and he was bouncing this morning out to the paddock,” Faulkner said.

“He is a tough customer and yesterday, had it been 2000m, I think he would have been over the top of them because Tina (Comignaghi, jockey) couldn’t pull him up. He was looking for that bit more. She gave him a nice run and he just couldn’t sprint with those light weights.”

Meanwhile, Faulkner was rapt with Shaking Stevens’ nine-length victory in the Night ‘N’ Day Dairy Temuka & Parkside 1600 at the mid-week meeting.

“I thought he would go well, we have just ironed a few problems out that we noticed the week before. I just didn’t think he would win that easily,” she said.

“In my opinion he won in from the start. He jumped a length clear of anyone and could just make his own rules.

“He is a lovely, big horse and is quite strong and he is pretty relaxed.

“We are probably looking at some bigger things with him, we’ll just get him through the grades. I haven’t made a big plan for him, but he will probably go Sunday-week to Timaru.”

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