Riodini on track for Ingham Stakes after winning The Gong

[Wandering Eyes]

Riodini winning the 2022 edition of The Gong. (Photo: Steve Hart)

Gai Waterhouse & Adrian Bott’s stable representative Neil Payne said both trainers got it spot-on in the way they aimed Riodini at The Gong.

The six-year-old gelding won the $1 million feature over a mile with a strong finish on the outside, saluting by half a length at Kembla Grange on Saturday.

The stable can now confidently set the gelding for the Group 2 Ingham Stakes over the same distance at Randwick on December 10.

“We gave him two runs in weight-for-age good sprints to get him ready for this mile,” Payne told HorseBetting.com.au.

“Now he’s had one run at a mile, he’ll go on to The Ingham.”

The sprinter now has $1.168 million in prizemoney after notching up his fifth win from 24 starts.

His triumph in Wollongong was his first since taking out a Group 3 race over 1400m in Auckland on December 7, 2019.

But Payne believes more success can come in three weeks.

“We’ve had two races in mind. We’ve conquered one, and we’ve got The Ingham to conquer,” he said.

After a long drought, Riodini was not the only one desperate to enjoy the spoils of victory on the weekend.

While Waterhouse wasn’t trackside, she was straight on the phone after Riodini’s classy finish to hold out a fast-finishing Hope In Your Heart for local Kembla Grange trainer Kerry Parker.

“Gai was desperate to win The Gong because she’s won so many races here at Kembla,” Payne said.

“When they put this race on a few years ago, Gai wanted to win it.

“She rang straight away. She watched the race and she was over the moon.”

Payne said the Waterhouse & Bott stable was also looking forward to the Gold Coast Magic Millions Raceday on January 14 next year.

“We’ve got a nice bunch of two-year-olds, so we’re looking forward to the Magic Millions,” he said.

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