Promising three-year-old Pokuru Gold headed to Pukekohe on Saturday and extended his perfect record to three out of three, but this time he really had to work for it.
The Darci Brahma gelding was sent out as a $1.40 favourite for the Auckland Co-Op Taxis (1200m) after scoring dominant victories in both of his two previous appearances. He romped home by three and a half lengths on debut on the Cambridge synthetic track back in September, then resumed at Te Rapa on May 18 and picked up right where he left off with another clear-cut win by two and a half lengths.
Pokuru Gold jumped smartly from the Pukekohe starting gates on Saturday, then was crossed by both Naxos and Murch. He travelled well just behind the leaders in the hands of Opie Bosson, but then got squeezed backwards when the field tightened up at the home turn.
Bosson got him into the clear and began to move him through his gears, and Pokuru Gold soon worked his way past the front-running Murch. But his job was far from over, with lightly raced filly Rareza finishing strongly from off the pace.
Pokuru Gold lifted again when Rareza drew up alongside him, and he fought that rival off and won by a long neck.
“That was a good effort,” Bosson said. “He got shunted back straightening up, but he was good enough to pick himself up well and fight hard to the line.
“He’s quite unassuming, very laid-back and only does what he has to, but he can definitely gallop.”
Pokuru Gold is trained by Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson for owner-breeder Ian Farrelly. His three-from-three career has so far banked $53,485 in stakes.
“It was a really good win today,” assistant trainer Nicole Shailer said. “He’s a promising three-year-old. That’s his third win now and he seems to love the wet. If he comes through this well, we’ll look at a 1000m race at Trentham in a couple of weeks (June 15).”
Pokuru Gold is the first named foal out of the winning Stravinsky mare Pokuru Nugget, whose dam Pokuru Star is a sister to the dams of Group One stars Embellish, Diademe and Sacred Star.