Top start to the New Year
01 Jan 2016Gorgeous Ryder handed Goodwood Stud the perfect start to the New Year with an impressive staying performance at Ellerslie this afternoon.
The home-bred set his own rules in front under apprentice Anna Jones and he was far too good for his rivals in the $50,000 contest.
A son of former Goodwood stallion Chinese Dragon, Gorgeous Ryder has now compiled the tidy record of two wins and two placings from four starts.
“He’s got great speed from the gate and the blinkers had him switched on,” Jones said.
“I asked him for a kick and he gave it, he’s going from strength to strength.”
Gorgeous Ryder is trained by John Bell, who said the five-year-old was capable of making his mark in far stronger company.
“Anna rode him perfectly – she rated him nicely. He’s a very fit horse and a game and genuine animal.”
Out of the Arazi mare Twizzle, Gorgeous Ryder is a brother to the Listed New Zealand St Leger winner Serpent.