Photo: Grant Peters
When promising galloper Puntura (Vespa x Mumzahoney) was heading towards victory at Doomben on Saturday the loudest noise he probably had ringing in his ears were the cheers from his proud owners and breeders John and Carole Lynskey.
The New Plymouth couple had made the trip over to Brisbane to support their pride and joy and were rewarded with a dominant performance that saw him dash clear in the home straight to take out the BenchMark 90 1615m contest in the hands of ex-pat Kiwi rider Mark Du Plessis.
It was the second win in a row for the four-year-old Vespa gelding who began his career in the stable of Robbie Patterson in New Plymouth, where he won four of his seven New Zealand starts before Patterson took him to Australia for a Queensland campaign last winter.
Relaxing with a cup of coffee on Sunday morning, John Lynskey was basking in the glow of a job well done as he explained the ups and downs they had experienced with Puntura in the past twelve months.
“We got his dam, Mumzahoney, from Selwyn Tisch and Puntura is the third foal we bred from her and the first by Vespa,” Lynskey said.
“Robbie is just a little way up the road from us, so we gave the horse to him and he showed promise right from the start although he was a big, raw-boned type that needed some time to grow into his frame.
“He had three starts before he won his first race and then he won another three in a row after that.
“Robbie was taking a couple to Brisbane last year so we decided to send him over and see what he could do.
“He had a couple of starts and then we decided to put him away for a spell while he was there.
“That was when Barry Baldwin asked if he could have a go with him before we sent him home so we decided that would be okay and that he would go back to Robbie at the end of this campaign.
“He didn’t go so well and we found out he had a wind issue that required an operation. He had that and came back for another go at them where he ran ninth first up and then had a promising fourth at his next run.
“We came over to see him run at the Sunshine Coast at the start of the month and he won so we thought that was a good idea and we came over again to watch him on the weekend.”
That decision paid off in spades for the Lynskeys who believe there could be more on offer from their charge based on the after-race comments by Du Plessis.
“It’s an easy decision to make to travel to watch your horses when you are paying all the bills,” Lynskey said.
“We love to support our horses and, quite frankly, the buzz we have had with the last two wins is something you just can’t beat.
“Mark came back in and said he never really felt comfortable in the heavy ground, but that once he got on something better, we would see just what the horse could do as he thinks he is a very promising type.
“The decision we have to make now is how long he keeps going here as he is going home to Robbie at some stage but we also want to be fair to Barry who has done a great job with him.
“I think in the end the horse will tell us when he needs a spell and we can then make plans from there.”
Before the Lynskeys head home next week they are going to share the joy of their win with a number of people currently involved with the horse.
“We are taking a few people out to dinner on Monday night for a decent celebration,” Lynskey said.
“Barry, Mark and Sam Collett, who rode him at the Sunshine Coast, are all coming along with the strapper and a couple of others so it’s going to be a big night.”
The Lynskeys are also looking forward to the New Zealand Cup Carnival at Riccarton in November with promising stayer Beaudz Well, who they bred and co-own, as he attempts to go one better in the Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) after finishing runner-up in 2021.
