Last night the $100,000 3YO Cup over 1200m was taken out by TURK WARRIOR (Outreach – Ehor) at Launceston.
Nothing terribly earth-shattering about that other than this Turk Warrior might just be a superstar in the making.
Backed into odds-on fav last night, he led all the way to win comfortably from two unbeaten stars in ALPINE WOLF (Alpine Eagle – Copper Dance) and the smart filly MAJESTIC DIAMOND (Trust In A Gust – Moondancing).
It was Turk’s 7th win, from only 7 race starts.
And he is heading to Melbourne now. Accompanying him is his Turkish born rider Ismail Toker, a new name the mainland pundits will need to get used to.
For it was Toker who discovered the horse as a baby.
“Ismail came to ride work one morning and was smiling, so I asked him what’s he so happy about,” said the 3YO gelding’s trainer Glenn Stevenson.
“I’ve just ridden the best horse of my life,” he replied.
Toker had been doing morning work at Grenville Stud prior to the Stevenson chat. He rode the then unraced, unnamed 2YO, who had been passed-in at the yearling sale when the reserve of $30,000 wasn’t met.
“So we asked Seyit ‘Uncle’ Basol, a prominent racehorse and cafe owner in Tasmania if he’d be interested in buying him. And he did which is how Turk came to me,” said Stevenson.
From that moment on Turk Warrior began to shine. Stevenson trains a lot on the beach and the horse took to the water like a duck.
He won 6 from 6 as a juvenile, just dominating his opposition and Stevenson was confident but apprehensive last night.
“It’s always exciting having them back. You look forward to them racing as a 3YO. And he is 60kg heavier but when they are good you are always concerned when they are fat first-up.”
He needn’t have been. Although his winning margin of 3/4 length was his narrowest yet, he gave a crack field weight and led all the way. He doesn’t normally lead.
He has won $355,970 in prize money now. And the big bots await as he heads across the water.
“I just love him,” said jockey Toker. “He is always on my mind.”
Thus far Toker has ridden him in all 7 wins.
“He is a good jockey so I will never take him off,” claimed owner Basol.
