Rex Lipp lands his Warwick champagne sip

By Jordan Gerrans

Veteran trainer Rex Lipp has been racing horses at Warwick for decades and when he arrived at Allman Park on Boxing Day, he hardly noticed a difference. 

The Warwick club have been in clean-up mode in recent weeks following the severe storm which hit the regional Queensland town in late November. 

The significant storm caused damage to various racing and administrative areas at Allman Park such as the barrier sheds, tie-up stalls, running rail, animal ambulance, winning post and bookies’ ring. 

The Warwick Turf Club’s committee, volunteer base and staff worked feverishly to repair damage at their track, so their popular Boxing Day meeting was able proceed.

The races were able to be run without a worry and experienced Darling Downs trainer Lipp was quick to praise the Warwick communities' efforts to ensure the popular meeting over the Christmas period was able to be held.

“They did a great job, the club,” the veteran trainer said.

“They cleaned it all up well. If you had gone to the races the other day, you probably won’t have known anything had happened outside of the main building.

“Everything else was cleaned up really.

“It was also good the Warwick trainers were able to come up to Toowoomba like they did and work their horses at our track while their track was out of action for those weeks.”

In a lengthy tenure training gallopers, Warwick is in the top 10 in Lipp’s career for most winners.

Warwick Turf Club’s Chief Operating Officer Kristen Doyle said the event could not have gone ahead without a lot of support, particularly from two hard-working committee members.

“Our president Eric Standing and John Gillott – who is a life member and current committee person – if we didn’t have those two guys there would be no way the club would have raced,” Doyle said.

“As well as doing the actual hard work, they were repairing fences, restoring running rails, cleaning – getting rid of rubbish.

“They’ve done everything and they’ve project managed. Without them – of course we have our two full-time staff members who have obviously helped – but those two are volunteers and they do it because they love the place.”

A winner on Boxing Day at Warwick made the festive season even sweeter for the 77-year-old Lipp. 

The Lipp-prepared Champagne Tower broke her maiden status at her 16^th attempt in the Maiden Plate over 1500 metres on Friday of last week. 

The four-year-old mare had placed on four previous occasions and the Clifford Park mentor described Champagne Tower as a ‘work-in-progress’.

“She is very consistent,” Lipp said.

“She has had a few little niggles all the way through her preparations.

“It wasn’t anything major, just niggling things with her legs that had little setbacks which forced us to be pushed back and then start again.

“We finally have her right, which is what it amounts too.

“She was a little bit immature in the early days, as well.”

The daughter of Dubious commenced from a wide alley on Friday and apprentice hoop Bailie Baker was able to fire Champagne Tower to the front in the early stages. 

That is where young Baker kept her mount for the entirety of the trip as she scored by just under a length.

Lipp was full-of-praise for the steer the Gold Coast-based Baker produced aboard his mare.

“She rode the horse very well, Bailie,” Lipp said. 

“She has got good potential, that girl.

“Everything fell into place for her and she rated the horse well out in front.”

The Lipp camp took four runners to Warwick on Friday with Astern Effort also running in the money in maiden company. 

The Lipp stable go in search of more festive season winners this week with three starters. 

Superalloy heads to the Benchmark 78 Handicap over 1200 metres on Saturday at Eagle Farm while stablemates Burleigh Magic and Stylish Angel will contest races at Ipswich Turf Club, also on Saturday.