Pot of gold beckons Rudyard

Rudyard earned a return to Ellerslie for a crack at a six-figure prize with a dominant winning performance in the closing event at a return to northern headquarters on Sunday afternoon.

The four-year-old turned his fortunes around to put away his Rating 75 rivals with ease over 1500 metres with trainer Tony Pike now likely to roll the dice for a tilt at the $1 million Aotearoa Classic on January 27.

“He’s in the four-year-old mile and he’s in great form so we might as well have a throw at the stumps and run him,” he said.

Rudyard had finished runner-up at his previous appearance, and he had no trouble going one better in the hands of Sam Weatherley.

“He’s started to mature and racing a lot more consistently and he was a bit unlucky not to have won the Stella Artois Championship Final, he’s going really well,” Pike said.

Part-owned by Waikato Stud, Rudyard jumped well today and settled in the trail and once he was into clear air, he exploded clear to win with ease.

“Everything worked out perfectly and it was a lovely ride by Sam and great to see him win like that,” Pike said.

“He’s a lot more professional than he was last season and it’s telling in his form.”

By Charm Spirit, Rudyard is a son of Savabeel’s dual Group 2-winning daughter Lady Kipling and was purchased by Pike for $280,000 out of Windsor Park Stud’s draft at Karaka.