Riodini seeking Group 1 redemption
Riodini may have been beaten for the first time in his career in the Group 2 Auckland Guineas (1600m) at Ellerslie on New Year’s day, but he lost no admiration from trainer Nigel Tiley.
The South Auckland horseman was pleased with his runner-up effort behind Dragon Leap and said he was a victim of how the race was run. “I was really happy with it. I thought he got beaten by a very smart horse. He just had to do the donkey work for the rest of the field and drag them up to the leader, so he was a sitting duck for something to finish over the top of him.”
Tiley is looking forward to contesting the mile distance once again on Saturday with Riodini when he lines-up in the Group 1 Woodridge Homes Levin Classic (1600m) at Trentham. While confident with his charge, Tiley is lamenting his outside barrier in the seven horse field. “I just wish he had a better barrier draw because we would like to ride him for a little bit of cover,” he said. “We are probably going to have to come back a little further than we want to, just to try and get some cover with him.”
The Group 1 feature has attracted a small but select field, with Harlech a $2.40 favourite with TAB bookmakers ahead of Travelling Light at $2.90, with Riodini the third-favourite at $3.40. “It’s a shame that for a Group 1 three-year-old race you can only get seven runners, but it’s a good field,” Tiley said.
Riodini is set to have a freshen-up before his next assignment, which could be the Group 1 BCD Sprint (1400m) at Te Rapa next month. “I am going to drop him off for a few days break at Rich Hill Stud on the way home,” Tiley said. “Depending on how he runs and how he comes through Saturday there is a possibility we might have a look at that 1400m Group 1 race at Te Rapa with him.”
Stablemate Ride The Wave will accompany Riodini on his Trentham trip where he will tackle the Raceform Premier (1200m). The four-year-old gelding finished unplaced over 1500m at Ellerslie on Boxing Day and Tiley is hoping for a better result over the 1200m trip this weekend. “He has learnt how to race now and I think he is just getting too strong,” he said. “We have just dropped him back in distance to see whether he might only be a 1200m horse. “I am pretty optimistic that he is going to be hard to beat. He has drawn barrier three, so hopefully they will run along a bit and he will be doing his best work at the finish.”