FINGAL VALLEY harness racing trainer Clinton Woods celebrated his biggest win when his talented gelding Touchwood Bucksta led all the way in the $10,000 Burnie Cup at the Wivenhoe Showground last Saturday.
The key to Touchwood Bucksta’s victory was that he was able to lead and get away with some slow sectionals on the tight circular track.
Touchwood Bucksta went into the race on the back of an impressive 21-metre win in the New Norfolk Cup on Australia Day (January 26) but soon after that race the horse suffered a foot abscess that prevented him from much needed track work.
“The foot abscess wasn’t particularly bad but it was the healing process that prevented him from work on the training track,” Woods said.
“We applied poultices then just had to wait till it burst.”
As a result, I wasn’t able to work him as much as I would have liked going into the race, so I wasn’t too confident he could win.”
“I was just hoping he would lead, stack them up and get a soft run and that’s just how it panned out,” he said.
Touchwood Bucksta drew the pole position and when he stepped cleanly from the standing start and had no trouble holding the lead it was just a matter of driver David Medhurst rating his charge to run out a strong 2789 metres.
Woods is only 28 but he has been training for about 10 years, although he only holds a B-grade licence allowing him only to train horses owned by him or his immediate family.
“I’m about to get my licence upgraded so that I can train for outside owners and I’m looking forward to that challenge,” Woods said.