Toowoomba trainer Rex Lipp chasing Ipswich wins with Victorian recruits
It is nine starts and almost 10 months since El Pensador last won a race, but Rex Lipp is optimistic his next victory could come at Ipswich on Monday.
The son of So You Think will be out to back up a good first-up performance in the penultimate event, the Seven News BM68 Handicap over 1350 metres.
The five-year-old resumed with a third placing over 1400m at Eagle Farm on April 8, which was his first top-three finish since his win at Monday’s venue last July, and served as confirmation to Lipp that he had returned in fine style.
“Last preparation I just had a few little niggling things from after he came up from Melbourne,” Lipp said.
“It took a while to sort him out, but he seems to be back on track now.”
All three of El Pensador’s career wins have been for Lipp, for whom he has had 20 starts after two unplaced starts with original trainers Tony and Calvin McEvoy in Victoria.
While Lipp is keen to get El Pensador back out to 1800m later in the campaign, he is no concerned about being 50m in trip on the first-up run.
“I wanted to give him another run over the 1350 before I step him up to the mile,” he said.
“He’s going to run a mile, even 1800 this horse, but I just want to get him right.”
Lipp’s other runner at Ipswich also joined him from Victoria with Arcelia to have her second start for the Toowoomba trainer in the Great Northern Maiden Handicap (1200m) that is the second race on the card.
The Japanese mare headed north after three runs for Peter Moody and Katherine Coleman and Lipp was buoyed by her third placing over 1100m at Gatton on April 10 at her stable debut.
“It’s taken a while to get her right, get her balanced and get her going,” Lipp said.
“She went to Melbourne, so we’ve had to get her going the other way, but I give her a good chance if everything pans out OK in the run.”
Arcelia will be ridden by 1.5kg claiming apprentice Corey Sutherland, with the pair to jump from barrier eight. while Angela Jones ha the ride on El Pensador, who drew barrier 13 but will start from 12 if the emergencies don’t gain a start in the field of 16.
