Kiwifruit pickings for Pacorus
EXUBERANT jockey Viktoria Gatu got the lollies in the Kiwifruit Cup aboard Pacorus yesterday but she was looking for more.
‘‘Do I get some fruit?’’ she smiled at Tauranga, New Zealand’s kiwifruit capital, after winning her eighth race on the horse she loves. ‘‘He’s my number one,’’ she said. ‘‘He ran a great race again. I might have pushed the button a bit soon but he just kept kicking – he’s just great.’’
The son of Tavistock was winning his ninth race from 30 starts and had to do it the hard way after being trapped wide and being asked for a sustained run from his rider.
But Gatu knows the horse so well and rode to his strengths and wasn’t afraid to make a daring move at the 300m mark when shooting to the front and kicking clear.
The bigger, stronger version of last season’s emerging galloper, kept on strongly to easily beat Doiknowyou and Gentil Tonton.
Cambridge trainer Chris Wood was thrilled with the effort of both horse and rider.
‘‘He can sustain a run,’’ Wood said. ‘‘And I said to Viktoria ’you’ve got 58kg, you’ve got to put the pressure on’, and here we are.
‘‘It was a great win and I’m thrilled to bits for Viktoria - she’s a good girl and she tries so hard and she loves this horse.’’
Whether Gatu loves Pacorus enough to delay a planned holiday in her native Sweden may be put to the test.
‘‘I’ll probably go to Rotorua [for the Taumarunui Gold Cup] but that’s another month away yet,’’ Wood said. ‘‘Viktoria wants a holiday but she may have to delay it.’’
Wood scored a double at the meeting when Wooden Edge won for the fifth time from just 11 appearances.
Apprentice Hairi Marzuki’s 4kg claim was put to use and he was able to guide the 5-year-old to victory.
‘‘It was a super run,’’ Wood said. ‘‘And a super ride. It’s nice to have Noel Harris [apprentice jockey mentor] looking after these kids, he does a great job with them.’’
Racing at Tauranga got off to a wonderful start with the emotional win of Kamikaze Rebel in the first on the card.
Jockey Cameron Lammas wore a black armband to mark the passing of his father-in-law Evan Parnwell who was laid to rest the previous day.
The salute skywards of Lammas said it all as he passed the post but the win was especially rewarding for the jockey’s wife Tracey [nee Parnwell] who trains Kamikaze Rebel.
He was having his ninth race and deserved success after running in strong maiden fields and being narrowly beaten several times including running the talented Highlad close.
The lucky Facebook had been six times placed and yesterday’s $12,000 stake took his earnings to around $32,000 for Tracey Lammas and original owner Louise Boyd.
‘‘I saw him on Facebook and really liked the look of him,’’ Lammas said. ‘‘I made contact and he was sent to me and I took a half share to train him.’’
In his first start since New Year’s Day and without the benefit of a trial, the 5-year-old son of Alamosa produced a sustained run from midfield to overhaul the front-running Imblaze and win by a short neck. The rest of the field trailed more than five lengths behind.
‘‘That was good,’’ Cameron Lammas said. ‘‘The horse was fresh-up today and with no trials, so I thought he might have needed the run.’’
TAURANGA Classic success for Under the moonlight has prompted thoughts of bigger prizes for the daughter of El Hermano.
Karyn McQuade trains the mare at Matamata and her husband Hamish is a co-owner and big fan of the winner of three before her $50,000 Listed win yesterday.
‘‘She will have a break now,’’ Hamish McQuade said after her latest success. ‘‘But I truly believe she is a Group I horse so long as she can get her toe in the ground.’’
The race was run on a Heavy11 surface which McQuade maintains was not ideal.
‘‘She’s not a real wet tracker but she did it well. She won quite easily in the end.’’
Jockey Cameron Lammas agreed that the 5-year-old wasn’t at home on the heavy track.
‘‘She didn’t handle the ground that well,’’ he said. ‘‘I’ve just come out and found a nice bit of ground for her and she’s done the job for me.’’