Pokuru's Gift - A Timaru Double

Leading trainer Jamie Richards made it two from two on the programme at Timaru, when Pokuru's Gift (5 g Rock ‘n' Pop - Pokuru Boxer, by Stravinsky) won the $11,000 Southfuels Rating 74 1200 metres.

Generally a front runner, Pokuru's Gift was content to lob along in second after going forward from the outside gate (14), as leader and race favourite Confessional (Swiss Ace) adopted a handle-bars-down approach. Upsides to level at the 300m, rider Danielle Johnson got to work on the big horse over the concluding stages and he had a neat length to spare at the line. 

Now the winner of three from eight, Pokuru's Gift was resuming after two seconds at the trials and paid $5.50 & $2.20 on the NZ TAB tote, running the 1200 metres in 1:12.2 on Dead6 footing. Interestingly, it was almost a year to the day (10 October) that he won his Maiden last season at Tauherenikau.

“He's a giant of a horse but always shown plenty of speed and natural ability,” Richards said. “He'd trailed up well before heading south. We had him earmarked for last Saturday at Riccarton, but his blood wasn't 100 percent so I'm glad that we waited. 

“Some bite out of the track helped and he obliged under a good ride from Danielle. He races well on the fresh side, so we'll space his runs into Cup Week and it shouldn't be the last time he wins. 

“It's a great result for Ian (Farrelly). He's a great mate of Dave's (Ellis) and everyone here at Te Akau.”

Bred and owned by Ian Farrelly, sporting the cobalt blue, black epaulettes and black and white chequered cap, he is from the second crop of Okawa Stud stallion Rock ‘N' Pop (Fastnet Rock), who was purchased by David Ellis CNZM and won the 2000 Guineas (Gr. 1, 1600m) for the Te Akau Rock ‘N' Pop Syndicate. Pokuru's Gift is the second foal from a Stravinsky (Nureyev) mare, while his grand-dam, Pokuru Star (O'Reilly), has left three individual winners of six races. 

“Ian is a close personal friend and it's always a thrill to win races for him and his family,” Ellis said. “He's a large-scale calf rearer who was on the Fonterra board and is a very good farmer.

“He's likes breeding horses and he's been a very loyal supporter of Te Akau Racing. He's also been a big help to me in farming. The horse has had wind operations but he's got talent and Jamie (Richards) has done a tremendous job training him. 

“The stable is on fire ahead of a big weekend. We've got runners at Matamata, Hawera, and Singapore on Saturday, and on Sunday we're hosting our own function for 150 guests for the New Zealand Here of the Year Awards' evening.”

Pokuru's Gift was strapped by Lydia Truesdale.

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