The 8yr-old was kept in close by the rails in the rating 75 and jumpers 2200m - a rarity at Wingatui yesterday - which paid off for jockey Ashley Frye, even if Stormy Rain's trainer, Michael Daly, wasn't so sure.
''I was a bit concerned when she hooked back to the fence, because it wasn't the place to be today,'' Daly said.
''I said to her, `See if you can come down the middle of the track', but she got a bit crowded at the top of the straight and went to the fence to get a run.''
The track copped some rain overnight, which put it on the softer side of dead, which concerned Daly initially.
''I thought it might be a wee bit too wet for him ... but he did win on a track at Timaru when they downgraded it to slow,'' Daly said.
''He wouldn't want it too much wetter.''
The last foal of Palatable mare Kishkanu now has seven wins to his name, giving the father-and-daughter owning and breeding partnership of George and Lucy Hennessy plenty of pleasure, having won the most money for them, now breaking through the $60,000 barrier.
''He's probably our best, although we had Rainline, who turned into a really good steeplechaser,'' George Hennessy said.
Rainline, prepared initially by Steven Prince and latterly by John Parsons, won two consecutive steeplechases in 2007.
The Hennessys farm cattle and sheep at Waimate and have had four winners as owners, with three winners - Stormy Rain, Rainline and Icey Rain (one win) - out of Kishkanu.
''We have a lot of fun with them.''
