LIGHTLY raced five-year-old Tawera broke a long run of outs for Spreyton trainer Steve Davis when he powered his way to an impressive win the Examiner Newspaper Class 1 Handicap (1200m) in Launceston on Thursday night.
Tawera (Kelvin Sanderson) sat outside of the leader Wide Open Spaces for most of the race and then held out a strong challenge from the heavily-backed Deeper Water to defeat that horse by a half-neck with Snake Dancer an eye-catching third over two lengths away.
Davis hadn’t been in the winner’s circle since early January when Mimunchkin won a maiden, also with Sanderson in the saddle.
Tawera was a cast-off from the John Symons and Sheila Laxon stable in Victoria.
“We purchased this horse as an untried three-year-old from John Symons and Sheila Laxon because they weren’t prepared to go on with him because he was apparently nervy and unruly so we got for a good price,” Davis said.
“He developed well physically yet very immature mentally but the last spell we gave him he matured a lot and that showed tonight,” he said.
Tawera (Noverre-No Fallen Angel) broke his maiden status on Launceston Cup day 2009 but his subsequent form left a bit to be desired, although Davis believes he has the potential to go on with it now that the gelding has matured mentally.
“This horse’s recent runs have been good, it’s just that he’s suffered from bad barrier draws and no luck in running,” Davis said.
“Tonight everything went to plan. He had a good gate and he was superbly ridden by Kelvin (Sanderson),” he said.
Davis expects Tawera to contest races up to 1600 metres this preparation and maybe beyond.
Tawera’s dam, No Fallen Angel, has produced a number of winners that have won from 1000m to 2000m, including Seven Deadly Sins (x Spectrum) and Hannahannah that won from 1100m to 1500m in Tasmania when prepared at Spreyton by Lane O’Shannessey in 2005-06.