Cifrado on the rise

By Glenn Davis

Just like actor Bill Murray in the famous movie Groundhog Day, Toowoomba trainer Rex Lipp has become trapped in a time loop forcing him to repeatedly stall off thoughts of retiring. 

Every time the 75-year-old ponders retiring along comes a good horse. 

Rising star Cifrado is the latest in a string of gallopers that has put Lipp’s retirement option firmly on the backburner. 

Lipp has had a passion for training for more than 30 years and has climbed Mt Everest twice, winning two Group 1s with Star Of Shiraz and Tinto. 

Star Of Shiraz won the Group 1 Sires Produce Stakes at Eagle Farm in 2004 while Tinto claimed the Group 1 Queensland Oaks 10 years later. 

Lipp first contemplated retiring around the time Tinto won the Queensland Oaks but subsequent wins from other stable favourites Gem Of Scotland and Our Beebee forced another delay. 

Lipp jokes he has thought about retiring nearly every day since he first took out a training licence in 1989, but good horses keep popping up like Tinto, Gem Of Scotland, Our Beebee and now Cifrado. 

A $320,000 buy as a yearling, Cifrado is a half-brother to Tony Gollan’s former flyer Madame Fleiss, a winner of five of her nine starts and more than $430,000 in prizemoney. 

“I bought Cifrado for a client, Cliff Little, who I have never met,” Lipp said. 

“He was a very athletic looking yearling when I got him. 

“He didn’t look like he’d be quick but rather something that would get between 1400m and 1600m, which was just what I was looking for.”  

After winning a 650m barrier trial in November last year, Cifrado finished second on debut behind the Les Ross-trained Mishani Gangster at the Gold Coast in late November. 

Mishani Gangster subsequently franked the form, finishing second to stablemate Mishani Royale in in the $500,000 QTIS Jewel at Doomben. 

Lipp felt Cifrado was run off his feet in his first appearance over 900m so he stepped him up in class and distance next start when second to Sydney raider Godfather in the Listed Phelan Ready at Eagle Farm in December. 

Lipp then tried to qualify him for the Magic Millions Classic but missed out when he beat only one home in the Group 3 Bruce McLachlan Stakes at Doomben two weeks later. 

At the time, Lipp was training in a joint partnership with Nicholas Hahn, but the two have since split to go their own ways. 

“He ran a great race in the Phelan Ready when he was caught three wide and he wasn’t beaten that far in the Bruce McLachlan, which was at the end of his campaign,” Lipp said. 

Lipp then pencilled in a winter carnival campaign with Cifrado after his Bruce McLachlan defeat but hasn’t been surprised by the colt’s stand out performances. 

Cifrado made a low-key winter return producing a stunning performance to win by nearly five-lengths at his first appearance since the Bruce McLachlan in an 1100m maiden at Ipswich in April. 

Ridden by Boris Thornton, Cifrado jumped from the outside barrier nine and was last on the home turn before unleashing a paralysing finish to break through for his maiden victory. 

“I was worried by his wide gate that day as he wasn’t brilliant out of the gates,” Lipp said. 

Cifrado stepped up to Stakes level at his next appearance, producing an eye-catching third behind the Steve O’Dea and Matt Hoysted-trained Appin Girl in the Listed Darello Stakes at Eagle Farm 10 days later. 

“His run in the Dalrello was very good but we knew it would be too short for him,” Lipp said. 

“He finished the race off very strongly and that was the race that decided where we would go in the winter.” 

Cifrado then stepped up to Group 2 level for the first time and lived up to Lipp’s high opinion with a dominant victory over the Chris Waller-trained Armed Forces in the Champagne Classic in May. 

Despite his strong finish to place in the Listed Dalrello Stakes, Cifrado was unwanted by punters in the Champagne Classic drifting to start a $26 chance. 

“It was his first run in his second campaign over 1200m and he got back and stormed home late,” Lipp said. 

“He only got up in the last bound but he got over the top of them very quickly.” 

Cifrado then proved his Champagne Classic victory was no fluke when he won the Group 2 Sires’ Produce Stakes at his first start over 1400m at Eagle Farm in June. 

It was a timely celebratory win for Lipp, who turned 75 two days later, and a fitting result after mapping out his winter program months earlier. 

“It didn’t surprise me to see him beat the Sydney horses in the Sires’ and it was a very strong win,” Lipp said. 

“His winter campaign was mapped out months before so it was good to see him win the Sires.” 

Cifrado then faced another step up in journey to 1600m in the Group 1 J.J. Atkins and wasn’t disgraced finishing sixth. 

“He got squeezed coming out of the gates and got back too far,” Lipp said. 

“It was a terrific run, as he had to come so wide in the straight, and I’ve got no doubt he runs a strong 1600m.”   

Lipp’s success over more than three decades training comes as no surprise as he has consistently demonstrated his expertise and passion in the racing game. 

He has earned widespread acclaim and a reputation as one of Australia’s most accomplished trainers. 

Born and raised in the Toowoomba district, Lipp has been around horses from a very young age. 

He started off working for 16 years at Eureka Stud at Cambooya before breaking-in and pre-training horses for the late Bruce McLachlan. 

“I learnt a lot growing up from my father who had a cattle and dairy farm outside Toowoomba,” Lipp said. 

From little things, big things grow and Lipp is looking forward to Cifrado’s three-year-old season. 

“I’m toying with a summer campaign aimed at the Magic Millions or he could go interstate for the spring,” he said.