LEICHARDT trainer Shaun McNaulty is the first to admit Guptas Gullen is no star, but the nine-year-old mare has certainly provided him with a fair share of joy.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The daughter of Gotta Go Cullen and Itsa Trick notched up her third win since her transfer to McNaulty's stable in the latter half of last year with an all-the-way win at Boort on Sunday.
Third in the line of betting behind Morrisons Dream ($2.30), who finished second, and Millah Joy ($3.30), who finished at the tail of the field, Guptas Cullen ($6.40) may have surprised a few punters, but her win was no shock to her trainer.
"He's no star, but he's been good to us," McNaulty said.
"We were pretty confident he could win, but the horse still has to do it.
"Kerryn thought she would get the lead and once we did we thought we were pretty much home from that spot.
"She's been a great horse for us, we've won three with her now, but that was the first not in claiming grade.
"Even though she ran second in town in a metro race (last year), she has probably not been as good in her last three or four starts. That said, she's an older horse, so you can't expect her to be at her top all the time."
Guptas Cullen, who started her career in New Zealand in 2015 and later raced in New South Wales and Queensland, was driven by Kerryn Manning.
It was another win for Team Teal, the harness racing industry's initiative to raise both funds and awareness for ovarian cancer research.
On a Boort Cup day during which there was plenty of focus shone on the Team Teal concept, five of the eight winners on the day were driven by females, with Jackie Barker scoring a double, Ellen Tormey steering the winner of the Boort Trotters Cup Well Defined, and Charlton's Denbeigh Wade victorious on the Michael Gadsden-trained Doitson.
For McNaulty and Guptas Cullen, their win means a planned start at next weekend's Birchip Cup meeting is no longer on the cards.
"Now that we can't go to Birchip I'll have to have a look around and see what's available for her," he said.
"We'd like to win some sort of country cup with her.
"We had her nominated (for the Boort Pacing Cup) but we didn't get a run, but that was a bit of a blessing in disguise as she wouldn't have won that. It was a very good field."
READ MORE:
Have you signed up to the Bendigo Advertiser's daily newsletter and breaking news emails? You can register below and make sure you are up to date with everything that's happening in central Victoria.