Webster hopeful of another win with Ran Na Lady

By Glenn Davis

Her name might be a bit of a tongue twister for trainer Pat Webster but he’s hopeful Ran Na Lady can make it back-to-back wins at Ipswich on Wednesday.

Ran Na Lady was a dominant all-the-way winner when successful first-up in an 800 metre Benchmark race at Warwick on November 18 and will line-up again in the Class 3 Handicap over 800 metres.

The four-year-old daughter of Kobayashi started her career late due to a hind leg issue.

“She’s not very big but she didn’t race as a two-year-old as she had a problem with a hind fetlock before I got her,” Webster said.

“We didn’t push her and just took her along slowly early on.”

Ran Na Lady is a homebred and is raced in a syndicate which includes Gold Coast businessman Mick Thompson and several friends including some who hail from the Hunter Valley in NSW.

“A few of the owners have had a couple of horses I’ve trained in the past and I’ve got her three-year-old brother named Inazuma Boy who shows a lot of promise and has won two of his four starts,” Webster said.

Webster won’t be concerned if Ipswich is rain-affected and expects another strong performance from Ran Na Lady.

“I’ve got no idea how she was named or how to pronounce her name,” Webster said.

“I struggle with her pronunciation but I expect her to be very competitive over 800 metres.

“She’s very quick and the sting out of the ground won’t be a problem for her.

“I don’t think she’ll get much further than 1100 metres as she’s bred to sprint.

“I was hoping to step her up to 1000 metres after her Warwick win but there’s nothing around for her at the moment.”

Ran Na Lady was ridden by rookie apprentice Chloe Lowe in her Warwick win but Webster has booked Les Tilley who won on her at Toowoomba in the middle of August.

“Les has ridden her twice for a win and a second so he knows her well,” Webster said.

The Webster and Tilley partnership combined to win the Country Cups Challenge Final with Skyforger at Doomben on November 30.

Skyforger followed up the win with a gutsy second behind the Tony Gollan-trained Queen Air in a Benchmark race at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Webster now plans to spell Skyforger and prepare him for a Country Cups campaign next year with possibly the Rockhampton Cup as one of his main goals.