Gatu rides Pacorus to victory in Interprovincial

Swedish rider Viktoria Gatu was encouraged into racing by her aunt.

Gatu landed her fifth winning double at a race meeting when booting home Pacorus and Wooden Edge at New Plymouth on Saturday. Pacorus won the day’s feature, the $50,000 Interprovincial Challenge.

Both horses are trained by Gatu’s boss, Cambridge trainer Chris Wood.

Gatu, 31, moved to New Zealand to take up an apprenticeship with Wood four and a half years ago. She rode ponies in Sweden as a teenager.

‘‘My aunt’s dentist’s son was a jockey in Stockholm and she thought I should try it out [being a jockey].’’

Gatu spent two weeks working in a stable in Stockholm before applying to the British Racing School in Newmarket in 2005.

‘‘The school was for people who had not ridden racehorses before,’’ Gatu said.

After attending the school, she became an amateur rider and worked in stables in England, Spain, Italy and Sweden.

Her first winner was in an amateur riders’ race in Spain.

Gatu is in the process of applying for residency in New Zealand. Her father, Lars Gatu, is coming to the Waikato early next year to visit her.

‘‘He doesn’t know what a good ride is . . . he thinks every ride is a good ride,’’ Viktoria quipped.

Success on Pacorus and Wooden Edge on Saturday took Gatu’s career tally to 46 New Zealand wins.

Pacorus challenged wide from the 600m and led turning for home in the Interprovincial Challenge. Runner up Meritaggio was a long neck away in second after being held up at the 500m.

‘‘I was quite confident coming into the turn, he was just cruising,’’ Gatu said of Pacorus.

She has ridden the 5-year-old Tavistock gelding in four of his five wins. He will now be prepared for the New Zealand Cup at Riccarton in November.

Stablemate Wooden Edge kept his unbeaten record intact when winning a $27,500 special conditions maiden. The race was for horses who had won maiden races in June, July and August.

Trainer Wood is unsure of plans for Wooden Edge who was having his third start on Saturday.

Te Awamutu trainer Brendon Hawtin bagged a win and a fourth with his two New Plymouth runners.

His winner, Dynamo, won a rating 75 1400m and Animator finished fourth in a rating 65 1200m.