Kendrick looks to Rocky for belated Christmas cheer

By Glenn Davis

Sunshine Coast trainer Stu Kendrick is hoping for some belated Christmas cheer when he sends two of his stable north for the Callaghan Park meeting at Rockhampton on Tuesday.

Kendrick had no luck with two starters at Eagle Farm on Boxing Day and was again out of luck with his six runners at the Sunshine Coast on Sunday.

He accepted with five horses for the Rockhampton meeting but will rely on just two after electing to run Easy Ruby, Clever Miss and Pubs and Kisses on their home tracks at the Sunshine Coast yesterday.

Don’t Waiver will be the first to represent Kendrick in the Benchmark 72 Handicap over 1600 metres while Sunrise Dancer tackles the 1200-metre Class Four Handicap.

“I was originally going to start all five but after all the scratchings at the Sunny Coast yesterday I thought it best to just stay at home and not have them endure a float trip and the heat up to Rocky,” Kendrick said.

Kendrick trained for several years at Mackay in north Queensland before moving to the Sunshine Coast where he has become one of the State’s leading trainers over the past few seasons.

However, he never misses an opportunity to place his team at the country provincials and has been successful with many raids north - including a winning double at Callaghan Park on December 18.

“It’s a good place to send horses to and if they perform well in Rocky then I leave them there with Adrian Coome,” Kendrick said.

Coome was a highly successful jockey before weight ended his career and won last season’s trainers' premiership in his first full season at Rockhampton.

Kendrick is hopeful both Don’t Waiver and Sunrise Dancer can continue his successful Rockhampton strike rate.

Don’t Waiver is coming off a last start second to the Ricky Vale-trained Meatball over 1600 metres at Rockhampton on December 18, while Sunrise Dancer finished last in a field of five in a Benchmark race over 1400 metres on a heavy track at home five days earlier.

“I think Don’t Waiver has found his right race,” Kendrick said.

“He got a long way out of his ground last start and it didn’t suit him the way the race was run.

“I think he’s got a great eachway chance.”

Kendrick is not as optimistic about Sunrise Dancer’s hopes but still expects a strong performance.

“She’s drawn awkwardly and will need a lot of luck but it’s a drop in class from what she’s been racing against,” he said.