Highly respected Cranbourne trainer Robert ‘Jimmy’ Redenbach is going ‘back to basics’ with kennel star and G3 Easter Gift finalist Riccarton Rick.
A winner of seven races at Sandown Park, including a come-from-behind 29.40sec win – at $15.80! – over superstar Tiggerlong Tonk, Riccarton Rick is heading to Lang Lang tomorrow for a first-time coursing ‘confidence booster’.
“He’s been getting ‘knocked about’ lately and is now starting to ‘look around’ coming out of the boxes,” Redenbach said. “I’m attempting to get that hesitancy out of him.”
Riccarton Rick (Mar ’18 Walk Hard x Rosie Riccarton) lines up tomorrow in a ‘Slips 2 Boxes’ heat, with a $1900 to-the-winner final to be held at Cranbourne next Saturday.
“It’s not all about money, the name of the game is to get the best out of your greyhound,” Redenbach added.
“He’ll be going up a straight with only one other dog and I think it’ll help restore his confidence.
“Coursing is so good for them; it really gets a dog’s mind right. I had a lot of coursing success with Monkhurst.”
Redenbach has also entered Riccarton Rick for the Speed Star (515m) at Sandown Park on Wednesday and then intends to give him a four-week spell.
A stalwart of the sport, with more than five decades of training experience, Redenbach, 72, has been associated with a myriad of topliners including Hotshot, Shimaguni (granddam of Shima Shine), Shadale and Spiral Ballerina.
“I’ve only got three in work these days. I treat them as pets, but they’re also well-conditioned for racing.”
WATCH: Riccarton Rick (4) topples Tiggerlong Tonk (2) in 29.40sec at Sandown Park on March 4 – only 2L off his 29.27sec PB.
