Country Spotlight: A bush favourite comes out of retirement

By Jordan Gerrans

North West Queensland favourite Tango Rain was preparing for life after racing not long ago.

The popular sprinter was retired in the final stages of 2021, having won on 14 occasions from 47 starts, with big weights becoming a concern around where trainer Jay Morris could place the gelding.

There were no questions around his eagerness to stay in work or any soundness issues, it was just Tango Rain’s rating was getting too high.

If his last race and victory was set to be October 16 of last year, he was to go out with an incredible record in the bush.

The son of Manhattan Rain claimed 11 of those 14 victories in regional Queensland – eight of them being at Mount Isa – and only once did he finish outside the money, running into the top three on six other occasions.

But, a discussion on a bush racing podcast has played a key role in bringing the tough eight-year-old back to the races as he will resume this Saturday afternoon at Julia Creek.

The Greater Western Queensland Racing News podcast broached the prospect of how they would place Tango Rain if he were to return to the races and shortly after, the Saunders family, who own the gelding, was on the phone to Morris.

The podcast noted that with a lack of depth in Open Handicap races in the west so far this year, could Tango Rain return and the stable use claiming apprentices to add to his remarkable resume?

And, that is exactly how they will attack it, with Townsville-based youngster Kelsey Lenton taking four kilograms from his back this Saturday as he will only now need to lug 63kgs, instead of the 67kgs that the handicapper originally handed him.

“He is sound, there is nothing wrong with the horse, he is just hard to place,” Morris said.

“He is going well and while nothing has changed in the programming for races, we will use Kelsey’s claim this week.

“He probably races best fresh. He is bouncing around and doing everything right.”

Morris, who is now the president of the Mount Isa Race Club after being on the committee for some time, has mapped out a plan that is likely to include a tilt at the 2022 Battle of the Bush for his stable favourite's final campaign.

He returns in an Open Handicap over 1100 metres at Julia Creek this Saturday, before looking towards the BOTB qualifier on his home track early next month, which will be run under set weight conditions.

The former Gerald Ryan-trained galloper would then go into the Final at Eagle Farm in late June third-up, with an eye to keeping him as fresh as possible.

“There are a couple of options for him if he doesn’t win the BOTB heat,” he said.

“This Brisbane days might be behind him but we will see how he goes in the heat first.”

He qualified for last year’s Final of the BOTB and won a race at Rockhampton’s Callaghan Park on the way to Brisbane.

When the call was made to retire Tango Rain, Morris did not rush moving him into his next stage of his life as he thought a phone call from the owners may eventually come to bring him back into work.

Morris’ wife Tamara, who rides track work for the stable, is likely to take Tango Rain into another discipline following his racing career, which was on track to happen before his retirement was put on ice.

“He was in the paddock, he was Tamara’s riding horse before it was decided we would give him one more go,” Morris said.

“He got let down into a paddock and the owners, the Saunders’, told Tamara that once he was retired she could have him.

“She was doing a transition with him, letting him down and getting him ready, and we were considering taking him to do some Off-The-Track stuff with for a couple of months, just to get him going.

“He is a kids pony, he could have gone into being a pleasure horse, or maybe dressage.”

Tango Rain’s second lease on life following his retirement will need to wait a few more months yet until after his final campaign as a race horse.

Tango Rain is one of four from the Morris barn who will go around at Julia Creek on Saturday afternoon.

The stable has trained four winners from their last nine starters over the past month.

There are big fields set to contest the five-event program from Julia Creek Turf Club this Saturday.

Country spotlight will be a regular feature that shines a light on the unique and individual racing clubs and participants across Queensland.