Fire Jet bids for Ruakaka win

Weight will boost Fire Jet’s Ruakaka prospects. Source: Race Images.

Failing to reach reserve in an online auction might yet prove a blessing for connections of South Auckland galloper Fire Jet.

Group 3-placed Tavistock five-year-old gelding Fire Jet was passed in on a $60,000 reserve on gavelhouse.co.nz this week ahead of a start in Saturday’s Northpine Waipu Cup (1400m) at Ruakaka.

A win on Saturday would reap Auckland owner Jimmy Liu more than a third of his asking price and having run a close second to Group 1 performer Hiflyer at Ruakaka last start, that is a real possibility.

“He’s done everything right since then. I’m more than happy with him,” Byerley Park trainer Peter Williams said.

“The winner was just too good but his run was very good and there’s no reason why the horse can’t go another good race. He’s working well, he looks good and he gets in on a good weight.”

A winner of five of his 25 starts, which include a third placing in last season’s Group 3 Concorde Handicap (1200m) at Ellerslie, Fire Jet carries 55kg in the Waipu Cup with apprentice Jasmine Fawcett again booked to ride.

“He’s always competitive but he’s not a big horse and he struggles when he gets 58 kilos on his back,” said Williams, who trains in partnership with his wife Dawn.

Getting up in the weights in open company was one of the reasons Fire Jet was listed on gavelhouse, Williams said.

“The owner is getting a few around him and we were finding it hard to place him. He wins another one and he’s right up in the weights,” Williams said.

“He was going well last preparation but then he bruised his heels when the ground got hard. He’s come back all right but he’s just got hard to place. We’ll just take it race to race with him from here.”

The Williams stable again has a strong string of horses preparing for spring racing, with unbeaten I Am Invincible filly Media Sensation set to resume in the Group 3 Hawke’s Bay Breeders Gold Trail Stakes (1200m) at Hastings on September 22.

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