Local galloper Taramansour turned his form around in style to hand trainer Phillip Stokes his first win in the Pakenham Cup.
Stokes, who operates stables in both Victoria and South Australia, was among the early adopters when the Pakenham training base expanded in 2019, and a victory in the Cup has long been on his wish list.
That ambition was realised in Saturday’s Listed 2500-metre feature, although stablemate Skippers Canyon went around as the $2.70 favourite. Instead, it was Taramansour ($26) who delivered a decisive 3-¼ length win over Star Vega ($17), with Etna Rosso ($8.50) finishing another short-head away in third.
Taramansour began his campaign in July and had already accumulated more than 17,000 race metres before lining up on Saturday. Following an eighth placing over 2400m at Caulfield on November 29, some owners felt retirement was looming.
However, Stokes urged patience, believing the rising 10-year-old was tracking better than his form suggested.
“After his last run, a few of the owners said let’s retire him, let’s tip him out, but I said ‘no, he’s going OK’,” Stokes said.
“We changed things up a bit and I have to give a big thank-you to the team behind us, especially Ross Elliot. He’s been schooling him out the back, and I think that’s really helped him.”
The stable also opted for a tactical shift, instructing jockey Luke Currie to ride the gelding positively rather than settle back as he had been doing in recent outings.
The move paid off, with Currie gradually improving his position before the turn.
Stokes indicated the Listed Bagot Handicap (2800m) at Flemington on New Year’s Eve looms as a logical next step.
“He’s a rising 10-year-old, so there’s not much point stopping him,” Stokes said.
Currie admitted the gelding had a challenging run early after being asked to press forward.
“It took a long time to get back into a spot,” Currie said.
“I got beaten to a spot twice going around the first corner and I thought I’ve missed the boat, but I ended up getting in and he just pulled.
“By the time we got half-way around the corner, I thought there was no point in stopping him as he had made his move. I was happy to come out to the middle and make our run there.
“He wandered a little being on his own and I pulled the stick through to the left which sometimes, especially with horses out in front, can switch them back on, which it did, and he was strong through the line off a pretty tough run.”
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