Ken Casellas | Race Replay
Wanneroo hobby trainer Craig Saligari notched his first metro-class winner for almost six years when Rakero Raider sprouted wings as he unwound a spectacular burst from tenth 250m from home to charge to the front in the final few strides to score a most impressive victory in the $21,000 Bouncy Castle Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
The 48-year-old Saligari’s previous city-class winner was Crocodile Kid, who was successful on April 3, 2020.
Saligari, a delivery driver for a bakery, trains two pacers, the other being Don Diablo, who won three times last year, twice at Kellerberrin in June and once at a Tuesday meeting at Gloucester Park in April. Don Diablo, a small New Zealand-bred gelding by Bettors Delight, was at Gloucester Park on Friday night as a companion for Rakero Raider, who has had a habit of being unruly when he is without his mate.
Rakero Raider has done well to recover from injuries received in a mishap in a race at Northam on December 20. He was knocked off balance after locking sulky wheels with another runner, and he sustained injuries down the off side of his body and hurting a muscle under his girth.
A horse masseur and manipulator has enabled Rakero Raider to recover from those troubles and Saligari produced the gelding in fine fettle for Friday night’s engagement.
In an open betting race Rakero Raider was the $5 favourite from the outside of the back line, with Liam Elliott settling him down at the rear while Alwaysbfrank ($15) was setting the pace with Strauny ($16) in the breeze and Wicked Hustler ($6.50) enjoying the one-out, one-back position.
Rakero Raider’s task looked forlorn when he was still at the rear after passing the 400m. But he flew home, out six wide, to win by more than a length from the $5.50 second fancy Lord Titanium, who came from second last in the middle stages before starting a three-wide move approaching the bell. His run was followed by the winner.
Elliott said that he felt rather nervous when Rakero Raider was so far from the leaders turning into the back straight the final time.
“So, I tried to be patient because I believed in the horse’s speed,” he said. “The previous time I drove him, four starts earlier when an easy four-length winner over The Wildcard (in a country-class event over 2130m at Gloucester Park) he ran the final quarters in 28.8sec. and 27.2sec.
“Tonight, when I pulled the plugs, he was off, like he was exploding out of a cannon.”
Teenager Abbey Vidovich, fresh from driving 102 winners in 2025, has begun this year in grand style, and she landed a double at Gloucester Park on Friday night, scoring with the Nathan Turvey-trained Hunger Strike ($3.20) in the first event and with the Matt Scott-trained Zuede ($16.10) in the final race.
Vidovich kept up the good work with another double at Albany on Saturday night when $2.80 chance Im Boss (trained by Adrian Shanks) and Arionrock (trained by Simone Strachan) were successful. Arionrock was at the rear when he began a three-wide move approaching the bell in the $20,000 Albany Cup before taking the lead 350m from home and holding on to beat Del Bocasista Bay by a half-head. That gave the 19-year-old Vidovich her tenth win in the space of a fortnight.
Zuede’s win at Gloucester Park completed a double for Scott, who was also successful with $12.50 chance Feeling Aces, who set the pace for Shannon Suvaljko and won the 2503m Food Vans Handicap, beating the $3.50 favourite Maungatahi by a length, after that horse came from ninth (on the pegs) at the 550m to surge home, out five wide.
Wanneroo breeder-owner-trainer Tonia Stampalia and her younger brother Vance combined to win the $21,000 Barn Babes Animal Farm Pace over 2130m with $5.20 chance Chaco Eagle, who came from three back on the pegs to win by six lengths from the $3.30 favourite Oh Miki, rating 1.56.1.
Chaco Eagle is out of Renascentari, who won once from 70 starts before being retired to the breeding barn. Tonia Stampalia trained and drove Renascentari when she was successful at her second-last start, at Northam on November 10, 2015. Chaco Eagle has now earned $80,734 from seven wins and 16 placings from 47 starts.