VICTORIAN apprentice Rhagan Cross had more incentive than usual to lift Blueblood to a narrow win in the Nag’s Head Tavern Maiden at Spreyton on Sunday.
Blueblood is raced by the jockey’s mother Kasey Wilson who was also the five-year-old’s original trainer.
Wilson sent the gelding to Tasmania late last month and he was still racing in her name when he made his local debut with a second to Our Lucky Girl a fortnight ago.
He was then officially transferred to Spreyton trainers Leanne and Clinton Gaffney.
Cross gave Blueblood a perfect run on Sunday, settling in third place before coming around the two leaders on the home turn, hitting the front with 50m to go and holding off a late dive from Flying Stevie to score by a nose.
Gaffney described Blueblood as a big, gangly horse and she is keen to test him over further than yesterday’s 1150 metres.
“He’s bred to stay but they haven’t tried him yet,” the trainer said. “This will probably be his last campaign so we’ll step him up in distance and see how he goes.”
Cross, who served the early part of her apprenticeship in Tasmania, is on the comeback trail after sustaining serious injuries in a trackwork fall at Pakenham in February 2013.
While she was sidelined from racing, she had a baby.