It’s woohoo for Kahu at Gloucester Park
A dream came true for part-owner Diane Pearce when $27 chance Tuapeka Kahu scored the best win of his career at Gloucester Park tonight and earned a Pinjarra Cup start.
Pearce spent two years working on the former New Zealand gelding's rehabilitation after he injured a foreleg tendon and ran unplaced in his WA debut.
"My only hope during the treatment was that he would win at least one city race," Pearce said tonight. "But Tuapeka Kahu has worked his way through the classes by winning 14 times since the injury.
"Tonight, he has scored the best win of his career. Never has he won in such strong company.
"He's now worthy of a Pinjarra Cup start ... it's a dream come true."
Co-trainers Greg and Skye Bond confirmed seven-year-old Tuapeka Kahu would contest Monday week's $50,000 Pinjarra Cup (2692m).
Tuapeka Kahu, starting at $27.60 in the Tyrone Group Pace (1730m), stormed down the outside for reinsman Ryan Warwick.
He got up to beat stablemate Our Jimmy Johnstone by 2m and rated a near track record 1:53.7.
Bettor Offer, also trained by the Bonds, set Gloucester Park's 1730m course record when rating 1:53 in 2013.
MacIntosh finished a close third in the Tyrone Group Pace and class mare Libertybelle Midfrew finished fourth after racing three-wide from the 1000m.
The Gary Hall-trained American Muscle was pulled up. A veterinary examination revealed a suspected fractured fore pedal bone and the horse will need a long spell.
Pearce and her husband Darren, who live at Serpentine, bought Tuapeka Kahu after he showed promise in New Zealand.
"He did not win there, but was finishing strongly into placings," Diane Pearce said.
"He was trained by Craig Goldfinch when he had his first start here, at Bunbury in June 2011. He ran 12th and pulled up with tendon damage.
"It was July 2013, before he raced again. I treated him virtually day and night during the rehabilitation. I was giving him treatments at 2am to ensure consistency of rehabilitation methods.
"His problem tendon underwent massage with emu oil. I also applied magnetic treatment and ice-pack therapy. Darren bought a treadmill for the horse's exercise and we gradually brought him back to fitness.”
Tuapeka Kahu then went to Greg and Skye's stable. He has won 14 races and run 16 places in 40 starts for the Bonds.
Meanwhile, former leading Perth trainer-reinsman Les Poyser died today, aged in his early 80s.
Poyser drove champion Pure Steel to win the 1980 WA Pacing Cup. He also drove Peter Patrick (1968) and Little William (1978) to victory in the Fremantle Cup.
