Ohoka Texas has the Invercargill Cup in his sights after a runaway win in the $40,000 Pelorus Classic at Waterlea yesterday.
Ohoka Texas won the Pelorus for 4yr-olds by seven and a-half lengths, the widest margin achieved in the 10-year history of the race.
He ran the 2300m (mobile) in 2.46.7 (1.56.6 mile rate), a second outside the race record set by Likmesiah in 2005.
Ohoka Texas has won four of his five starts this season by a combined total of 25 lengths.
Ohoka Texas gave trainer-driver Mark Jones his second win in the Pelorus. He drove the Cran Dalgety-trained London Legend to win in 2004.
Katie Carville, the Ohoka co-owner and breeder of Ohoka Texas, was not on hand for the race yesterday due to commitments with her international freight forwarding company.
She also won a race at Te Aroha yesterday with Ohoka Colorado. It was the second win in eight starts for Ohoka Colorado, trained by Tony Herlihy. The 3yr-old son of Christian Cullen and Millwood Krystal is a brother of Ohoka Arizona, whose eight wins included the Welcome Stakes, Sapling Stakes and Kindergarten Stakes. Ohoka Arizona is in his third season at stud.
The $40,000 Invercargill Cup is on January 28. Ohoka Texas, the winner of 10 of his 18 starts, will be off the front.
Mister Presley, the 4yr-old winner of the Marlborough Cup yesterday, is also eligible for the Invercargill Cup. Trained by David and Catherine Butt for Sydney owner Tony McGrath, Mister Presley, has now won eight of his 14 starts.
• Im Themightyquinn rated 1.55.9 for 2506m (mobile) when he won the Western Australian Pacing Cup in Perth on Friday night. Raglan finished fourth.
Smoken Up won the South Australian Cup in Adelaide in a 2.02.1 rate for the 2645m (mobile) on Saturday night. He has his next start in the Ballarat Cup on Saturday week.
The Ballarat Cup is also on the agenda for Gold Ace, who finished third fresh up at Cambridge on Friday night.
• Harness Racing Victoria has decided to stage three heats, rather than two, for trotters in the Interdominion series commencing at Shepparton next Saturday.
• The picnic meeting scheduled for Waikouaiti on Saturday was abandoned due to state of the track.
It is to be rescheduled some time after the Waikouaiti Harness Racing Club meeting on February 12.
