Talented youngster Ripp has earned an invite to the AQWA Constructions The Rising Sun and will join Ladies In Red and Better Eclipse in the group one feature race.
Ripp has caught the eye in the opening seven races of his career, picking up two group one wins, and will now get the chance to add another later this year.
Rising Sun boost
Trained by Bernie Hewitt and driven by his son Doug, connections were keeping their fingers cross for an invite to the Rising Sun.
The Rising Sun will take place on Saturday 9th July and there will be $305,000 in prize money up for grabs. Now Ripp has been confirmed in the field, preparations can begin.
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“He has knocked over a couple of pretty big scalps early in his career and this race was always on the radar as we were always going to take up a team to Queensland, he was always going to be one of them,” Doug Hewitt said.
“Talking to Wayne (Loader) the owner, it was always one of our hopes to be invited to a race like this. When it came through, it put all our plans into place for us and now hopefully we have him ready for the big race in Brisbane.”
Injury issues
Ripp’s return to top form is even more remarkable considering he had to take a year off in 2021 with a serious tendon injury. But he has returned to his best with two group one wins.
“He is a massive, big three-year-old and for him to go and do what he did in the Chalice and then back it up a couple of weeks later in the APG Final, it was definitely special for me to be going to these big races with such a quality animal,” Doug added. “Even for Bern to be training horses like him, it is unreal at the moment.”
