19 Oct 2018Story courtesy of Dennis Ryan, The Informant
Not many Rotorua meetings of recent years have passed without a Bill Pomare-trained winner, and again today at Arawa Park the popular local kept his fan club happy.
To loud cheering from the stands, Pomare’s six-year-old mare Donna Anne Billy ran her rivals ragged for an easy win in the TW Moore 1400.
“They all love it when one of ours wins here,” said Pomare. “She’s been one of our best lately, that’s three wins on her home track now.”
Donna Anne Bill was a winner at Rotorua in May, then was tripped up by the Te Rapa track a week later ahead of spell and a fresh-up win at long odds at Tauranga two weeks ago.
“There was no big divvie this time, but we’ll take it,” Pomare added.
The Tavistock mare has been ridden in her two latest wins by in-form Cambridge apprentice Ashvin Goindasamy, who has put his four-kilogram claim to good use both times. At Tauranga the Mauritian brought her from a handy trailing position to get up for a narrow win, while today it was a case of handlebars down as she took an early lead and never looked like surrendering it.
At the line Donna Anne Billy was still more than three lengths clear of runner-up Chic, who was followed in by Sellwood, Pasabache and the Kevin Hickman-owned dead-heaters Bella Court and Terra Sancta.