Race Images Palmerston North
Talented jumper Kipkeino will further his preparation toward his grand final with a run on the flat on Saturday.
Waipukurau part-owner and trainer Lucy de Lautour will venture north to Te Rapa to give the 10-year-old a run over ground in the Lowe Schollum & Jones 2100.
“The main reason is just to keep him ticking over,” she said.
Kipkeino provided his connections with their proudest racing moment last month when he produced an impressive display to win the Hawke’s Bay Hurdles.
In one subsequent appearance, the Sunray gelding finished a sound fourth in the Wellington Hurdles, which was rescheduled from Trentham to Hastings.
“He jumped well, but they were just a bit too quick for him that day,” de Lautour said.
“The ground was quite holding and he’s never been that good when it’s been like that so we certainly weren’t disappointed with him.”
Kipkeino’s main aim now is the Schweppes Great Northern Hurdles at Ellerslie on September 9.
“I’m not certain yet what we do between Saturday and the Northern,” de Lautour said.
“There’s a hurdle race at Wanganui on August 20 so we might even go there.”
While Kipkeino is at the top of the jumping ranks, he has also showed himself to be a capable performer on the flat with an open handicap victory to his credit.
He was also a minor placegetter at Awapuni last season behind the subsequent Listed Wanganui Cup runner-up Zartan. – NZ Racing Desk.