Visiting Taranaki trainer Allan Sharrock struck gold with his first runner following the Covid-19 pandemic lockdown when Tellyawhat notched an impressive victory at Te Rapa. Most punters had expected the well-performed London Express to provide Sharrock with his best chance in the rating 88 1000m dash however it was the enigmatic six-year-old gelding Tellyawhat that came up trumps courtesy of another picture-perfect ride by apprentice Ashvin Goindasamy.
The Cambridge apprentice had Tellyawhat travelling sweetly in midfield throughout before angling for an inside run after the field fanned wide turning for home. Things got a little dicey when Tellyawhat was squeezed between the pacemaker Ihu and the rails-hugging Our Alley Cat at the 300m but Goindasamy kept his cool as he balanced his mount up and charged through a narrow gap in the final few strides to claim an impressive victory. Ihu fought strongly to hold second from Our Alley Cat with the well fancied Santa Catarina making good ground late to finish an eye-catching fourth.
Sharrock, who part-owns the Dalghar gelding, admitted he had been confident of a forward showing after he had performed nicely in a jumpout recently. “We had a bit of confidence as he has won at Te Rapa before and he went nicely in a jumpout when he finished alongside Mauna Kea without any pressure on him,” Sharrock said. “He's a funny horse as he only has a short sprint so you need to ride him cold and I thought the boy (Goindasamy) did a nice job of that. “He has had a couple of rides on him before and not gone that well so he may have worked him out now.”
He was also delighted with the performance of London Express who finished on strongly behind the placegetters after striking trouble shortly after the start. “It was a massive run from her (London Express) as she copped a check at the start and then two more after that,” he said. “You can't win from back where she was but she got home nicely and I think we are going to have a fair bit of fun with her over the next few months as she is a very good mare who thrives on the winter tracks.”
Sharrock made it a winning double later in the day when his apprentice Hazel Schofer guided Tavi Mac to a narrow victory to register the Tavistock four-year-olds sixth win from just nine starts. Schofer has developed a wonderful affinity with Tavi Mac after he provided her first win as a jockey when he scored at New Plymouth in May last year. Schofer has now won four races from just five rides on the son of Maroof mare Bellaroof who won five races during her 36-start career.