Raf Attack (NZ) All the Way in Gloaming

For the second year in a row, Sydney’s A$500,000 Group Three Gloaming Stakes (1800m) has announced the arrival of an exciting young Karaka graduate on the big three-year-old stage.

Raf Attack (NZ) (Satono Aladdin) led all the way in the Randwick feature on Saturday, recording the second win of a five-start career and lifting his career earnings to A$332,550. He was bought by Chris Rutten for Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott Racing for $150,000 from Rich Hill Stud’s draft in Book 1 of Karaka 2022.

Last year’s Gloaming was won by fellow Karaka graduate Sharp ‘N’ Smart (NZ) (Redwood), who went on to win the Group One Spring Champion Stakes (2000m), Herbie Dyke Stakes (2000m) and New Zealand Derby (2400m), along with a second placing in the Group One Victoria Derby (2500m).

The Spring Champion Stakes at Randwick on October 28 is also now the target for Raf Attack, who relished the step up to 1800 metres in the Gloaming on Saturday.

“The Spring Champion is the race he's been set for,” co-trainer Adrian Bott said. “He's been running excellent races in distances short of his best – they've just outsprinted him late, but he hasn't been beaten far.

“So I was confident when we can get him out to his right trip he would sustain a really good gallop, which he's been able to do.”

Ridden by Regan Bayliss, Raf Attack burst to the lead in early stages of the race and never surrendered that advantage. He kicked hard at the top of the straight and dug deep as the challengers edged closer, holding on to win by a half-neck.

The 1800 metres were run in 1:48.11, just outside Randwick’s track record of 1:47.43.

“He's a free-rolling horse and he's very tough,” Bayliss said. “He’s a bit tricky to ride. You can't go too slow, but you also can't just run him into the ground. He was a little bit keen still today. So I reckon that run will just knock the edge off him – and it's going to have to, heading into the Spring Champion Stakes.”