It’s A Rush prepares for the Golden Easter Egg

By Isaac Murphy

The Bowe kennel are never afraid to hatch a bold plan and their Golden Easter Egg bid with It’s A Rush couldn’t have gotten off to a better start.

The dog trounced his rivals in last Saturday’s prelude, stamping his spot in the heats of the renowned Wentworth Park Group 1, and kennel representative Justin Bowe said he and his uncle Gerard were ecstatic with the result.

“It was some sort of effort to get up and win first up at the track, drawing box eight and putting time (29.88) on the board, he did everything we could have asked of him,” he said.

“He looked like he was going to be in some trouble when he didn’t jump, but he showed plenty of smarts at the first turn, similar to what he’s done at Ipswich which they say is very similar to Wentworth Park.

“He’s always raced well at Ipswich; we do most of our racing there and when he went 30.39 winning three weeks ago, we thought now was the time to go and have a crack at the Easter Egg.”

Coming off his slashing Ipswich win, the kennel were optimistic about his campaign but were blown away by what he produced fresh.

“We sent him down there in good order and thought he’d compete straight away, but he probably surprised us a bit; hopefully he can stay ahead of schedule when he gets another run there Saturday night,” Justin Bowe said.

“He moves into box three which should suit him, it’s definitely a tougher field with dogs that have won a lot of races down there but on times his first up performance stacks up.

“Fire On Ice who’ll go around favourite from the four also ran last week and although quick early had a slower run home, if he can fix up his box manners he should be right in it again.”

With The Easer Egg not run until early April, It’s a Rush is going to spend extended time in New South Wales - namely at Richmond where Oh Mickey won last year’s Derby and Dam Slippery the 2019 Futurity.

“He’s down there with a good mate Michael Hodges who’ll head to Richmond with him after Saturday and get a run in the week before the Group 2 Derby heats,” Bowe said.

“He hasn’t seen the track, so we don’t really know how he’ll handle it but a 535-metre big open spacious circuit looks to suit, hopefully he performs well there and brings some momentum back to Wentworth Park.”

“The heats of the Golden Easter Egg are another fortnight after that, seeing he’s already qualified we might give him a race run or just trial him to have him spot on for his grand final.”

On the eve of his third birthday, It’s A Rush is in the prime of his racing career and Bowe thinks his racing style and record will stack up at the next level.

“As with most dogs, you like them to come out running and leading but racing over the tough 500 at Ipswich and having plenty of success over the 550 metres at Bundaberg winning the Derby up there and running third in the Cup he can come from just off the pace,” he said.

“His record is pretty impressive; 14 wins and 13 minors - he’s only missed the money on six occasions, he’s been very reliable since day one.

“He’s shown us he can win races, but with him turning three next month we want to see if he’s at that Group level and that’s what this trip is all about.”

The Bowes are hoping the campaign can continue how it started and see an improved chaser when he arrives home ready to tackle the Brisbane Cup.

“Hopefully he comes through his New South Wales stint well and we can get him back up home for the Winter Carnival where he should be competitive,” Bowe said.

“He’s always been a bit sharper at Ipswich - I’m not quite sure why he hasn’t fully taken to Albion Park - but if we can hit the carnival with confidence it shouldn’t be a problem.

“He’s still won multiple races there and finished behind some good dogs, the natural next step will be to get him comfortable in that environment.”

The last dog the kennel travelled interstate was exciting stayer Slick Raven who put some electrifying times on the board at Ipswich, unfortunately her racing career came to a premature end but she’s doing just fine as a mum.

“We took Slick Raven to Fernando Bale and she produced seven healthy pups; five dogs and two bitches which we were rapt with,” Bowe said.

“They’re just a month old at the moment, so nothing too much is happening at this stage, but we’d love to see them racing at Yamanto in a few years’ time.

“It would’ve been great to see her fulfill her racing potential, but sometimes they can be even more valuable as a broody.”