Easy win has Old feelin fantastic

“It’s great to have him back in form. He’s had a lot of niggling little issues.

The Matamata combination of Glenn Old and George Duncan have long recognised the ability of Peacefuleasyfeelin and are relieved and happy he is back displaying his talent.

The Ekraar gelding has caused them a few headaches but all was forgiven as the handsome 5-yearold produced his best to trounce his rivals in the NRM 2100 at Te Rapa on Saturday.

The win was his second in succession in a new campaign and is testament to the training skills of Old, who has been tested by the horse’s soundness issues.

He won fresh-up over 1400m at Rotorua on May 9 in the hands of Anna Jones and she produced a clever ride to get him home again on Saturday.

A stop-start tempo encouraged Jones to allow Peacefuleasyfeelin to slide forward from around the 900m mark.

It kept the powerful galloper in a smooth, uninterrupted rhythm which suited him perfectly and he careered away for a decisive four-length win over Zeldara, with another 5½ lengths to thirdplaced Nolawood.

He ran the 2100m in 2:14.68, significantly faster than Twilight Offer’s 2:17.88 when winning the R65 2100 later on the programme.

Peacefuleasyfeelin was rarely out of the money in his first dozen or so starts, which included two wins before hard tracks took a toll and soundness issues saw his form tail off.

Time, patience and veterinary intervention have aided his current form turnaround and he is now set to tackle tougher assignments.

Next up is likely to be the Taumaranui Gold Cup in early July.

“I’ll think about a start in the Kiwifruit Cup at Tauranga on June 20 but he’s better left-handed, so I’ll probably wait for the Taumaranui Cup here at Te Rapa again, even though it will be another month between runs,” Old said.

“He was very impressive today and it was a great ride by Anna, she let him roll forward and it was the right thing to do.

“It’s great to have him back in form. He’s had a lot of niggling little issues which were part of the reason he wasn’t letting down on hard tracks. We keep him happy by varying his work and mix it up with a bit of jumping.”

Understandably, Jones is forming a high opinion of the horse.

“I had to keep him rolling, it was a funny kind of pace, but he just ate the ground up,” she said.

“He’s an out-and-out stayer and just keeps going. He’s got a lovely long stride on him.”

Owner George Duncan bred Peacefuleasyfeelin from his Personal Escort mare Give Me Gold, and he currently has her back in foal to Ekraar. “I had some big offers for Peacefuleasyfeelin early on, but I’m a hobby breeder and not a seller and I enjoyed today’s win,” he said.

Duncan also has a 3-year-old Raise A Flag half-brother showing glimpses of the family ability.