Racing: Longshot produces career highlight for trainer

Dual code trainer Murray Matthews scored his biggest career win when producing 50-1 shot Ravanelli to win at Ellerslie yesterday.

Ravanelli unleashed a blistering home stretch sprint through the middle of the pack in the hands of Michael Walker to win the $50,000 Dunstan Feeds Championship Final.

The six-year-old Rhythm-sired gelding was the fourth emergency and only secured a starting berth at 7.30am yesterday.

Matthews did not have a jockey engaged but after a series of calls he managed to secure the services of Michael Walker.

Ravanelli stormed through the middle of the field to win by 1 1/4 lengths over Churngold and Gorgeous George.

Given the winning margin, the only surprise was the win dividend.

Ravanelli is the only thoroughbred Matthews trains off a 50 acre property in Ardmore. He also trains two standardbreds.

"I've had my thoroughbred training licence for about five or six years and it's really only a hobby for me at the moment," said Matthews.

"I've trained standardbreds for a number of years and I just decided one day to have a go training a thoroughbred.

"Ravanelli can be a difficult horse to train at times but I think that can be said about the stock of Rhythm in general.

"He's not a nasty horse but he can spin on you or run backwards and the small stable has helped calm him down.

"When you look at Upsetthym and Tantalic who are both also sired by Rhythm, they're also trained in smaller stables and that's helped get the best form out of them.

"He's a dead set stayer and he's had no luck recently because he's raced over 2100 metre races and he's needed a longer distance to show his best.

"Today was 2200 metres and I'll be taking him to Trentham for the Wellington Cup Carnival and racing in PQ [premier quality] class over 2400 metres."

Matthews believes Ravanelli has the potential to develop into a top-class stayer and would be ready to contest events like the Auckland and Wellington Cup in another year.