Rancho Montoya could be special
It is rare for a Friday meeting at Ipswich to produce a possible Melbourne winter carnival horse but that looks the case with beautifully bred colt Rancho Montoya.
He made his debut in a 1200m-maiden last week and cruised home by 2-1/2 lengths after being backed from $2.20 into $1.25.
Rancho Montoya is by High Chaparral out of the Group One winning mare Isolda who counts a win over superstar Octagonal on her record.
Trainer Stuart Kendrick had planned to run Rancho Montoya at the Gold Coast last Wednesday but decided to duck a wet track there.
“He had a bit on them at Ipswich but we will give him his next real test at Doomben on Saturday week in a 1350 metre two year old,” Kendrick said.
“If he wins that as we would expect he will go to Melbourne for the spring carnival races.”
Kendrick went within a centimetre of making it a two-year-old double in two days when Marseille En Fluer was beaten a nose in the Listed Winning Edge Stakes.
“I would have loved to have won with her to add to her value as a broodmare but she has some black type now,” he said.
Fellow trainer Kelly Schweida hopes his Cellargirl can bounce back from a cut on a hind leg to resume racing soon.
Cellargirl was odds-on favourite for the Aquis Crystal Plate at Doomben on Saturday but was a race morning scratching.
“It is nothing too serious but we couldn’t risk her. It was annoying because the race was worth $96,000 to the winner and she would have won,” Schweida said.