Race day previews for Hawkesbury and Albury on Thursday

Trainer Ron Quinton could leave Hawkesbury on Thursday with a strong win streak heading into the weekend.

Trainer Ron Quinton can continue his purple patch at Hawkesbury on Thursday. Picture: Grant Guy

The Ron Quinton stable heads to Hawkesbury’s meeting in red-hot form and with a bit of luck, could end up riding a strong win streak into the weekend.

Eight of the last 10 runners for Quinton have finished in the top three with the last two translating to winners.

A common theme in the win streak are the recognisable silks of Ray Gall, made famous by top stallion I Am Invincible.

One of those winners came in Saturday metropolitan company with Watch My Girl breaking through for the Randwick-based conditioner.

Jason Collett throws the kitchen sink at the well-backed Watch My Girl and she holds on to win Race 5 at @newcastleraces_ for trainer @RonQuinton 💥 pic.twitter.com/wzcCUvAF4b

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) November 16, 2024

And it’s a daughter of I Am Invincible that will be looking to stretch out Quinton’s win streak to three with I Am Wild taking on Hawkesbury’s opening race.

I Am Wild will tackle the 1500m contest off a runner-up finish behind the classy galloper Diddle Dumping.

“She’s an honest, lightly framed mare that’s done well since her last run,” Quinton said.

“She’s no superstar but she’s a good horse to have around and she does come into this race in some good form.”

I Am Wild opened as the warm favourite with TAB off the back of her second placing behind city class mare Diddle Dumpling earlier this month.

Quinton admits he was surprised with how short bookmakers have his mare given the depth in the race, so he’s not getting too enthusiastic.

“I was a bit surprised about the price they opened with,” Quinton admits.

“But like I said she’s no superstar and I thought the race was deep, so I thought she was a bit short as a favourite like that.

“She does come into the race with a bit of experience around Hawkesbury now with her last two runs coming on the track.

“So hopefully that will give her a bit of an advantage there and we’ve had some success over the last few days so it would be nice to keep it going at Hawkesbury.”

Ron Quinton has had eight of his past 10 runners finish in the top three. Picture: Jeremy Ng/Getty Images

I Am Wild’s main danger in the market is the Anthony Cummings-trained Doradus, who returns after suffering cardiac arrhythmia last time out at Warwick Farm.

Meanwhile, a few races later will see three-year-old galloper Blue Tongue resume from a spell, carrying the same silks as stablemate I Am Wild.

Quinton has liked about what he’s seen at the trials from the son of Capitalist.

“He’s come back good this preparation,” Quinton said.

“He showed me a bit early on and both his runs last preparation were good without winning.

“Both times he found a bit of interference in the straight but I liked the way he picked back up after it and from what I’ve seen, he’s come back in better order this time around.”

Jockey Maddy Owen hasn’t rode Blue Tongue on race day but was aboard at both the gallopers trials leading into the 1300m contest.

“It’s always handy when you can get a few kilos off and she knows him a bit having ride him in both trials leading into this,” Quinton said.

Blue Tongue is something of a rarity in that he was offered, and sold twice, at auction before he raced.

He was part of the Edinglassie Stud draft at the Magic Millions National Weanling Sale in the middle of 2022, selling for $40,000.

Blue Tongue resurfaced at Riverside in early 2023 where he was re-offered, this time in the Inglis Classic Yearling sale, reaching $160,000.

A son of Magic Millions and Golden Slipper winner Capitalist, Blue Tongue is one of a small and diminishing number of current racehorses out of an Octagonal mare.

Pepper thriving in new surrounds

Trainer Luke Pepper is riding a wave of momentum since moving back to Canberra and is hoping to keep the ball rolling with a talented mare at Albury.

Pepper has plied his trade at Scone in recent years and it’s seen him tackle Group 1 contests with a mare like Opal Ridge.

“It’s great to be home and I’ve got a really good set up here,” Pepper said.

“This place is first class and I’m just excited to be home.

“We’ve had a few winners since we’ve been back so hopefully we can keep the ball rolling.”

Melbourne Cup Day saw Pepper prepare his first runner since the switch and Soul Taker will be his 12th when they head to Albury on Thursday.

Pepper is hoping it’s a bit of deja vu with the four-year-old daughter of Dissident when she broke through for a win last campaign.

Although that win came at Tamworth, some 800km from Albury, it was third-up into her campaign and over the 1600m.

Opal Ridge makes a statement in the Luskin Star Stakes! 🔥

Smart [e-mail]/lo84Y8SrIA

— 7HorseRacing 🐎 (@7horseracing) May 13, 2023

“She’s a filly that enjoys racing at the mile,” Pepper said.

“We started her at the 1450m and then she did enjoy stepping up to the mile last time out at Canberra.

“I think it reads a lot like when she won her maiden, going into the race third-up and at a mile so that should suit her down there.

“With natural improvement she should run well and it’s a nice race for her down there.”

Soul Taker is set to face only seven rivals in the $30,000 contest, two of which are from the Donna Scott yard with Keith and Notleanormean.

Pepper thinks with a bit of added fitness along with an ideal barrier, Soul Taker can break through.

“She’s had a bit of a space between runs and probably needed the run second-up,” Pepper said.

“But I thought she ran well there regardless and proved after that second-up run that’s she’s very healthy and well.”

Soul Taker is the first foal of Casino Star who won five times in her 29 starts, four of them at Albury.

Casino Star’s brother, Burning Front, won 19 races including back-to-back Carlyon Cups, the second of which beating his stablemate Humidor.

Originally published as Race day previews for Hawkesbury and Albury on Thursday