Lowry and Tommy Tucker do it again
It’s easy to understand why the gallant eight-year-old Tommy Tucker is Jacob Lowry’s pet horse.
They again successfully combined to defend their Listed The Craigmore Timaru Cup title at the Phar Lap Raceway on Wednesday with a typically spirited display.
Under topweight of 60kg, the tough as teak Tommy Tucker answered every call of his 18-yearold rider to get in the deciding stride and pip the front-runner Pepper Mill, who was in receipt of six kilos.
‘‘He’s been my favourite for some time - he might not be a topliner, but he’s not far off it,’’ said Lowry, who is apprenticed to his grandfather Brian Anderton, who trains Tommy Tucker with son Shane.
‘‘I was pretty confident as soon as the fields came out – drawing one was a massive help with that weight.’’
Lowry gave Tommy Tucker a cosy trip behind the pace and the chestnut son of Gallant Guru rounded off determinedly in the run home.
‘‘He travelled well all the way and it was a pretty good effort,’’ he said. ‘‘I wasn’t sure if we had won though, I was more hopeful than anything.’’
Lowry is in his fourth season of riding and he has come back strongly after battling weight issues and taking some time out in the spring.
‘‘I’ve got it under control and the rewards are coming – I’m comfortably riding at 56 to 56.5kg and feeling a lot better,’’ he said.
From a Group II Wallaceville Estate Wellington Cup perspective, the late run of Bloodstream to take third behind Tommy Tucker was an encouraging pointer to his Trentham prospects.
Improving filly Storytime is likely to make a return trip to Auckland next month.
The Savabeel three-year-old finished runner-up to the unbeaten Volpe Veloce in the Eight Carat Classic in her first Ellerslie appearance on Boxing Day.
‘‘She went a lovely race and she handled the track well so we’ll have no fears about going back,’’ said Evan Rayner, who prepares the filly with his daughter J. J.
‘‘She’s eligible for the Karaka 3YO Mile and that’s worth $250,000. We’ll probably give her a freshenup for that and her main aim is the Oaks.’’
Sound Proposition will require a veterinary clearance before he can race again.
The five-year-old tailed the field home in the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie on Boxing Day and he was found to be suffering from cardiac arrhythmia.
Trained by Lance O’sullivan and Andrew Scott, Sound Proposition won the Easter Stakes last season and as a three-year-old he also finished third in the New Zealand Derby.
An improper riding charge against Chris Johnson has been downgraded to careless riding with the leading South Island jockey pleading guilty. It arose from an incident in a race at Ashburton on December 16. the Judicial Control Authority downgraded the charge to one of careless riding to which Johnson admitted. He has been suspended from January 2 to January 14.