Riproar has family bite

[Wandering Eyes]

Riproar winning at Arawa Park on Thursday. Photo: Race Images

The Andrew Forsman-trained Riproar looks to have inherited some of the family ability, with the gelding a comfortable winner at Rotorua on Thursday at his second start.

Ridden by Wiremu Pinn, Riproar proved too good for Sassy Lass and Balance Of Power in a four-horse field, winning by just over two lengths.

“Obviously it was only a small field and he had all favours but he had learnt a lot from his first start,” Forsman said.

“Prior to that first run at Pukekohe he hadn’t had a grass trial or a trip away from home and he was entitled to a lot of improvement, so it was nice to see him put it together.”

A son of Charm Spirit, Riproar is a half-brother to Group Three winning stablemate Mr Maestro, who contests Saturday’s Group 1 Australian Guineas (1600m). They are out of Let Me Roar, a Group Two placed half-sister to multiple Group One winner Lion Tamer.

“He is a lot bigger than Mr Maestro and they are out of a good mare that stamps them with a fair bit of quality,” Forsman said.

“He shows a fair bit of natural speed but he has got scope to get at least a mile, so it was a bit of a bonus with a big horse like him to get a result as a two-year-old, so we will see how we go.”

Online bookmakers reacted to the victory by shortening Riproar into a +900 chance for the Group 1 Manawatu Sires’ Produce Stakes (1400m) at Awapuni on April 1, but Forsman warned it was not necessarily on the agenda.

“The Sires’ might be a little bit sharp for him but it depends how that race is shaping up closer to the time,” Forsman said.

“If we do keep him ticking over I was thinking of aiming towards a Champagne Stakes (Listed, 1600m) perhaps and then that might set him up well for the spring.”

Bred by Windsor Park Stud, Riproar was bought by part-owner John Stubbs for $80,000 as a yearling.

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