It was a sense of relief for trainer Arna Donnelly when Rough And Ready took out the feature pace at Cambridge last night.
After winning 13 races out of the Donnelly barn, Rough And Ready couldn't hide from the open class performers any longer. In consultation with his owners Robert and Sharyn Symon, a decision was made to send him to Australia. Unfortunately things didn't pan out as expected. After 1 win from 15 starts, both Donnelly and the Symon's thought it was time to reassess his future. "I called Robert (Symon) one day and said Robert we need to bring him home. He's been good to us, so let's do what's best by the horse even if it means we retire him. Thankfully Robert agreed and I finished the call by saying lets regroup when he gets back."
"When the door came down on the truck Geoff (as he's known) knew exactly where he was," said Donnelly. "It was like he'd never left."
After spending three weeks in the paddock the call was made to get back to business. Given Rough And Ready had spent most of his life racing out of Donnelly's barn she was the person best placed to make a call on his future.
"I'm rapt for Robert and Sharyn and of course the horse. To be honest I'd have to say it's one of my most satisfying wins. A real feeling of job satisfaction."
The victory was sweetened by the fact it was penalty free so don't expect it to be Geoff's last win!
