O'Guy and jockey Kozzi Asano return to scale following their win. Photo: Riccarton Park
Former Northern galloper O’Guy opened his South Island account with a win in the Pat Reardon Family & Hororata Supporters Rating 65 (1400m) at Riccarton on Saturday.
Trainer Andrew Carston leased the six-year-old gelding in early February, following advice from his former trainer Stephen McKee.
“Stephen thought a change of environment might help him and he said he was well worth taking, so I leased him.
“A few of my loyal owners got involved and there’s a few new ones in him too so it was great to get a win for them so quickly.”
Those happy owners are Logan Booth, Susan Dunnett, Michael Haywood, Fred King, Darryl Spence, Peter Setchman, Greg Steele, John Wallace and Carston himself.
Carston had been happy with O’Guy’s work leading into the race and said he specifically targeted Saturday’s race for the son of Pins.
“It’s always hard to know when they’re first up down here,” he said. “Stephen said he was a bit of an enigma and that he has ability, but he doesn’t always show it so really it depended which version of him turned up on the day.
“I had been happy with what he’d done leading into the race, even though I hadn’t done a lot with him.
“I changed his routine around a bit with some swimming and jumping and not much galloping to try and freshen his mind more than anything else and it seemed to work because he won really well and he had to do a bit of work.
“He was a four-win horse in a rating 65 race on Saturday, that’s why I waited to run in him in a $22,500 race rather than a $10,000 race so it all worked out to plan.”
Carston added that his strategy as a trainer is always to get the best return for owners.
“I always put them in the races I think they can win and make the most of the prize money,” he said.
“If you can you’ve got to get the best return for the owners at the end of the day.”
Saturday’s win took O’Guy’s career earnings to $99,742.50 and Carston said there was more in store for him.
“I’ll see how he is but he will probably run in two week’s time at Riccarton, if there are races,” he said.
Bred by Grande Vue Lodge Syndicate and Waikato Stud Ltd, O’Guy is by former Waikato Stud sire Pins out of the lightly raced Woodman mare Woodminco, who is the dam of eight foals to race, five winners.
To view the race replay, click here.
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