By DAVID NAGEL
DARREN Weir’s super-consistent gelding Tooleybuc Kid created history on Sunday, overcoming a wide barrier to score a meritorious victory in the $100,000 Bruce Clough Mazda Pakenham Cup (2000m) at Racing.com Park, Tynong.
A good sized crowd watched an exciting first edition of the cup at the Pakenham Racing Club’s new home after a mid-race move from the David Huxtable-trained Waltzing to Win set the race up for the swoopers.
Patiently ridden by Brad Rawiller, Tooleybuc Kid came from well back on the turn to score by a half-length on the line from Kareeming, with Lucciola a nose away in third.
Leon and Troy Corstens’ exciting stayer Pinstripe Lane ran fourth, claiming popular local hope The Wingman right on the line.
Rawiller praised the Weir stable after the race and said he was confident going into the race despite drawing barrier 15.
“It’s just fantastic, as one of Darren’s riders, to win a race like this and it’s a testament to the stable,” he said.
“The key was to give him cover, even if we were three wide and a little bit back, you can pick them up here, the track’s beautiful and momentum’s the key.
“We had a beautiful track into it and we had momentum when we hit the hill, so I was very confident on straightening and he just kept giving.
“Typically of a Darren Weir horse, really, they race to win.”
Tooleybuc Kid took some great form into the race, scoring a last start city win at Caulfield after running a game second at Mornington at the end of March. “He’s run at Mornington was super-credible with the big weight, he just couldn’t nab the winner giving it five and half kilos, but he’s in great form,” Rawiller said.
“It’s just great to win the first Pakenham Cup to be run here.
“The actual track is as good as anything I’ve ridden on, it’s second to none, it’s incredible.
“It’s great to be getting rides here and great to be on a winning chance in the Pakenham Cup.
“This will be a wonderful facility for this region and the racing industry as a whole for years to come.”
Owner Leon Wiegard on behalf of the Vingt Cinq Club Syndicate said it was a great honour to hold the cup, given the historic first run on the new track.
Wiegard, who represented Australia in water polo at an Olympic level in 1964 and 1972, said he was thrilled to accept the cup from Kane Clough from the Bruce Clough Mazda operation.
He said he was a good friend of Kane’s father, Bruce.
“He was an old golfing buddy of mine.”
