Trainer Bill Thurlow is excited about the future with promising jumper Whiskey Tango following his dominant victory at Te Rapa on Saturday.
The five-year-old gelding was runner-up at Trentham in his first Steeplechase outing last month under Aaron Kuru and he reunited with the visiting hoop on Saturday, with punters backing the formidable duo into equal money favouritism.
Kuru was positive out of the gates with the son of Proisir and the pair were left untouched upfront, eventually running out to a 7.5 length victory.
“We were quietly confident, he had been working really well,” Thurlow said.
“We were really happy with him, he went super.”
The Waverley horseman was delighted to book Victoria-based Kuru, who recorded the perfect day at Te Rapa, winning all four of his rides.
“It was lucky that he was coming over for the bigger races. He had ridden him at Wellington and really liked him and said if he could get back out, he would love to ride him again. It worked out well,” Thurlow said.
“Aaron is a top-class rider, so to get good feedback from him is great. You can see the horse is a lovely jumper, so they are a good combination.”
Thurlow said he owes much of the gelding’s success to jumps jockey Kayla MacNab.
“Kayla MacNab needs to take a lot of credit for the horse. She has done a lot of work with him for us,” Thurlow said.
“She schools him and does a lot of hill work. She has done an absolutely marvellous job with him.”
Whiskey Tango has had three starts over hurdles, but Thurlow believes his future mainly lies with the bigger fences.
“From day one he took to it and he has got a lovely big jump on him,” he said.
“I wouldn’t discount hurdles, but long-term I think steeplechase is really his go. He looks like he has got a bright future.”
While Thurlow has big hopes with Whiskey Tango, he said he won’t be setting any lofty targets for him this year.
“He will probably go back to Te Rapa for a one-win chase, and he might have a run around Riccarton,” he said.
“There is no ambitious campaign for him at this stage, he is only a young horse.”
Meanwhile, Thurlow will head to Wanganui on Friday with a pair of runners, and he is hopeful of a positive result.
“Steal My Thunder and El Tajin will go to Wanganui on Friday. They both ran well at New Plymouth last start,” he said.
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