Trots Centre: Scott Rains in another project as mare gets chance

Having helped turn Oh Oh Noo into oh oh yes trainer Scott Rains is optimistic his latest project will also bring further cut-price joy.

The reinsman debuts Babylon Bambi in tonight’s Alabar Maiden Pace at Shepparton, and while the inside back row draw will mean luck will be a player in tonight's result the trainer-driver’s optimistic the Western Terror five-year-old mare will give a good account of herself.

“She’s getting better and better all the time and is definitely capable of winning races,” he said. “I just hope she handles the race pressure.”

Babylon Bambi follows in the footsteps of Oh Oh Noo, who Rains and partner Emily Harris purchased cheaply last year and then enjoyed consecutive victories and a series of placings.

Babylon Bambi was snapped up for $1500 via Harness Trading Ring in February off previous owner Pam Tomlin of Maitland, New South Wales.

“We are always on the look-out for cheap horses who we can give a go,” Rains said. “We asked Pam to send us a couple of photos and (Babylon Bambi) looked quite correct, like a tidy little mare. Off that we paid the $1500 asking price.

“She’s a Western Terror out of an Artiscape mare, that’s a pretty good start.”

Purchased in February, Babylon Bambi was transported to Paul Weidenbach’s farm where “he jogged her up and put a cart on her”, and from where Rains would later collect her along with “another little horse I had spelling there at the same time, Illawong Jovial”.

“I got serious with (Babylon Bambi) in March, she’s had two education runs and a trial,” he said. “She’s quite speedy and led in all three of them.

“She’s got pretty good gate speed and ran the trial out quite nicely in her first go over 2150 metres, she just got run down in the straight by one of Bruce Morgan’s horses (Sweet Appeal).”

In his Trial File column at thetrots.com.au, Craig Rail accredited Babylon Bambi for “setting up a reasonable speed” and running on well to finish just seven metres shy of the trial winner, with a further 120 metres back to third placed Leotardandlace.

The performance booked Babylon Bambi’s ticket to a race start and, 19 days on from her Bendigo trial, she kicks off her racing career tonight at Sheparton in race two, which streams at 5.36pm on Trots Vision.

“We were hoping for a front row draw, but inside the back row for a mare having her first start is not the worst draw,” Rains said. “We will just have to go with the draw and see what happens. She will need a bit of luck, but definitely has got ability.”

Any success will certainly be enjoyed by the reinsman’s wider family, with Babylon Bambi owned by Rains’ mum Sharon Threadwell, brother Sean Rains and partner Ebony Harris.

As for Oh Oh Noo, he is now enjoying retirement, having had 16 starts for Rains for three wins and three placings before they called it quits at the end of 2019.

“He succumbed to a past injury, which is a niggle in his suspensory, so we retired him,” Rains said. “He has moved on to a lady who does trial riding and camp draughting and he seems to have taken to that like a duck to water.”

TALKING TROTS ON SENTRACK:

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