Young trainer finds unlikely fan ahead of Jewel

Photo credit: Caught in the Act Photography CQ

By Jordan Gerrans

If Toowoomba trainer Rex Lipp is not to win the 2YO QTIS Jewel on the Gold Coast next week, he would be happy for one other stable to claim the feature juvenile race.

After last Saturday’s Jewel Preludes at Clifford Park, stalwart Lipp has a pair of youngsters going towards the $500,000 Jewel – gelding Toba and filly Burnish Gold – who both ran in the money last start. 

They will have strong claims at Aquis Park on March 19 – as will Rockhampton flyer Better Rain, who is trained by Tom Smith.

Smith is set to have his first metropolitan starter at just 21 years of age, a Better Than Ready youngster from mare What a Smile.

The Group 1-winning trainer, Lipp, raced What a Smile in her four career starts – only being placed once – and she remains on Lipp’s property on the Darling Downs.

“If I cannot win the two-year-old race, I hope Tom does,” Lipp said with a smile.

“For their sake, hopefully they can knock it off.

“It means a lot to me, I have a half-brother to her, which I kept as a yearling.

“The horse, Better Rain, is improving all the time.”

Better Rain was a $39,000 Gold Coast March Yearling Sale buy for owner Stewart Nobbs from the draft of Eureka Stud.

He won his way through to the 2022 QTIS Jewel for two-year-olds by claiming a qualifier on his home track late last month.

The Smith name is synonymous with racing in Central Queensland and the emerging horseman is over the moon with what Better Rain has produced in his first four trips to the races, culminating in two victories and another two second placed finishes.

“His last two starts, we have rode him where he is happy and were a bit more aggressive early, to be closer, and kept him rolling – which seems to be working with him,” Smith said.

“He is not going to be a genuine 1000- metre here; he will be at his best when he gets to 1300 or 1400 metres.

“Whatever he is doing now is a bonus as he will get over more distance.

“The 1200 metres he will tackle at the Gold Coast will suit him a lot better than what he has been racing at now.

“He has not been beating a lot up here but the way he has been doing it is what impressing us the most at the moment.”

While Lipp has a big team of horses of his own to keep an eye on at Toowoomba, he closely follows any galloper who comes from his mare.

“I am looking forward to seeing Tom and Better Rain come down and see how he develops,” Lipp said.

“From all reports, he is a horse on the way up. Who knows, he could be a surprise packet in a race like this.”

In his 70s after decades in the game, Lipp is a trainer who appreciates seeing young blood in the Sunshine State training ranks.

“I have known his parents so it is good to see young people coming through in the industry,” Lipp said.

“We need to have more young people coming through to take over.

“Tom is very keen and does all the work himself, I like helping these sorts of people, they are going very well in Rocky at the moment.”

Better Rain is owned by a couple of blokes Smith referred to as “cow cockies”, who have had a number of horses over the years, Nobbs and Biloela’s John Howard.

Nobbs and Howard were searching for a Heroic Valour youngster at the sales and when they missed out on the one they wanted, they focussed in on the yearling that became Better Rain because of his laid back nature and strong presence.

Smith has only been training for the last couple of years – earning 22 winners so far – and he is excited to make his debut on the metropolitan stage.

“We are looking forward to it – the owners are keen as well,” he said.

“The whole team here in Rocky, we have just moved into our new facilities here at the farm, we have a good team behind us so we are looking forward to a race like this.

“We will be enjoying the build-up of it all and then the experience when we get down there.

“We are proud of the horse.”

Les Tilley has been on the gelding in each of his four career starts and will retain the job on Jewel day.

The Jewel was dominated by Rockhampton horses last year – Sweet Dolly the winner with Ahooshu not far behind – and Smith is hopeful CQ can be competitive again, with his galloper and fellow Callaghan Park trainer Clinton Taylor set to be represented.