White Robe dominates feature meeting

White Robe Lodge dominated the Gore Racing Club feature meeting on Saturday (21/1/2017). Brian and Shane Anderton trained the winners Raise You Ten ($50,000 listed Gore Guineas, 1335m), Coulee ($30,000 open 1335m), Willow ($20,000 rating 65 1335m) and Fascinate ($22,500 fillies and mares rating 75 1335m).

Raise You Ten is by Raise The Flag, who also sired the $30,000 Gore Cup (open 2000m) winner Princess Brook. Coulee and Willow are by fellow WRL sire, Gallant Guru. WRL jockey Courtney Barnes rode Raise You Ten, Princess Brook and Fascinate. Stable apprentice Jacob Lowry was aboard Willow and Coulee.

For Frank Conway, the Auckland owner of Raise You Ten, the win coincided with the Wellington Cup meeting 48 years ago when his crack filly Mayo Gold won the Wellington Stakes, an open 1400m and the Wellington Oaks over eight days.

Raise You Ten took the step up from winning a maiden race at Wingatui on December 26. His next assignment is the $50,000 Dunedin Guineas (1500m) at Wingatui on February 4th. The Dunedin Guineas has been increased 100m in distance.

"The programme committee (Otago Racing Club) felt increasing the distance from 1400m to 1500m was a better lead up to the 1600m of the Southland Guineas (February 18) after racing over 1335m at Gore" said Brian Anderton.

Coulee has been assigned the $70,000 White Robe Lodge Handicap (1600m) on Dunedin Guineas day. Tommy Tucker, last start winner of the Timaru Cup (1600m), has been set for the same race. He ran second to The Diamond One by half a head 12 months ago. The White Robe Lodge Handicap, sponsored by WRL since 1974, has become the principal race of the Otago Racing Club. Jacob Lowry will continue his association with Tommy Tucker, whom he has ridden in the last eight of his 13 wins. Courtney Barnes will replace him on Coulee. She rode the mare to a good fourth behind Tommy Tucker in the Timaru Cup. Lowry had ridden Coulee in her seven wins.

WRL has won the WRL Handicap with A Gordon For Me (1992-93) and Perceptible (2002).