Aaron Bain Racing | Aaron Bain News 61691 Abr Race Review

The magical Oakbank Easter weekend is over again, and this year Aaron Bain Racing managed to pick up one of the features.

RUBAMOS put in a tough performance on Easter Saturday to land the $107,250 Simon Tolley The Vintage in a photo to give the owners a well- deserved result.

Our horses ran well on both days and now ABR now looks forward to this weekend with the ANZAC Day meeting at Balaklava on Friday, then the Group 1 Sangster Stakes and Australasian Oaks races on a fabulous program starting the autumn carnival.

On Wednesday, ABR tunes in to watch the debut run of three-year-old colt DOWNBYTHETEESIDE at the Bendigo harness meeting.

Trained by Emma Stewart and to be driven by Mark Pitt, he has drawn gate one in race seven, the Star Sports Supporting The Good Friday Appeal Maiden (2150m) at 7.50pm SA time.

ABR Weekend Star

ABR couldn’t go past RUBAMOS as our weekend star.

What a performance to win at Oakbank on Saturday.

After three seconds from his previous four runs, RUBAMOS deserved a victory, but it was achieved under tough circumstances.

Coming from the extreme outside gate of 14, in the $107,250 Simon Tolley The Vintage (1400m), jockey Taylor Johnstone was trapped three and four wide early as the field settled down.

Johnstone allowed RUBAMOS to slide forward and settle second ready to come down the hill.

The seven-year-old didn’t look comfortable on the home turn and drifted wide before being straightened and urged to go for home.

RUBAMOS ($3.90 fav) hit the lead but had plenty of challengers, but he responded to Johnstone’s urgings to hold them at bay and win by a head from Favourite Child ($10) with Fine Future ($9) a long neck away third.

The gelding came into the ABR stable from champion trainer Chris Waller in February 2024 and showed promise but had a few issues into his campaign.

After a break, he has been racing very well for trainers Aaron Bain & Ned Taylor and deserved the victory.

Trainer Aaron Bain said RUBAMOS was a smart galloper.

“He deserved to win one and that was his first victory for us,” Bain said.

“He has been honest but has been caught up in the high weights.

“We haven’t been able to get that right 1400 metre race for him.

“Last year we ran him in a Goodwood but this year we have been looking for 1400 metre races which are his speciality.

“Credit to Angaston Park, he works up the hills every day, he loves it.

“To win a nice race at Oakbank is what ABR and our team are all about.

“These wins are all about the team, we have 35 on the books at Aaron Bain Racing along with Summit Bloodstock, Jamie, Jake and their team plus in harness racing Clayton (Tonkin) and Emma (Stewart).

“Taylor (Johnstone) is a great young apprentice, and we have backed her in. Her 2kg claim was important today and she rode him well. She deserved the win as much as ABR.

“It was fantastic to win a $100,000 race with him and reward the owners.”

Winning jockey Taylor Johnstone was full of praise for RUBAMOS.

“He was really good today,” Johnstone said.

“Obviously jumped from the widest gate and didn’t have much luck early.

“I chose to press forward as he was starting to get a bit keen.

“I didn’t want to fight him, just wanted him to get into a rhythm.

“We ended up outside the leader and let him travel down the hill.

“He was really tough to the line – every time the horse on his outside kept fighting, he kept fighting back.

“It was a really tough win.”