Having had a staggered start to his career, Tango Rain can set the tone for his three-year-old campaign when he returns to Canterbury.
The Gerald Ryan-trained colt is one of 16 entries for the late-season two-year-old race over 1200 metres at a rare Saturday meeting at Sydney’s inner-west track.
At his only other start, Tango Rain won over 1100m at Canterbury on June 22, almost six months later than scheduled.
“He was ready to race at Rosehill in January but he pulled up sore behind after his work on the Tuesday morning so we had to stop with him,” Ryan said.
“He’s done really well since his first start and he won a barrier trial on Friday to get him ready for his next race.
“If he runs up to what we hope he will, we look at the Run To The Rose next and then see where we go.”
Tango Rain is one of a few young horses retained by Teeley Assets after Muzaffar Yaseen had a dispersal sale of much of his stock last year.
“When Teeley had their dispersal sale they kept four colts and four fillies and I was lucky enough to get two colts including Tango Rain,” Ryan said.
Ryan’s association with Teeley goes back to 1995 when he trained Shantha’s Choice to her two starts as a two-year-old before injury ended her career.
Shantha’s Choice was an immediate success in the breeding barn with future champion racehorse and sire Redoute’s Choice her first foal.
Her eighth foal was Sliding cube, the mother of the Ryan-trained Rubick while her ninth foal was Manhattan Rain, the sire of Tango Rain.
Ryan has also nominated Foxy Housewife for the Canterbury race with the filly out to make amends for her last-start failure on a heavy track at Randwick on June 9 when she finished sixth in a 1200m-race won by the Gai Waterhouse-trained Thronum who is among the opposition again.
