Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Tubbs Farquhar lined up as a two-year-old to make his debut in a race at Gloucester Park on April 11, 2017 when he galloped at the start and finished last in the field of eight, 160 metres behind the winner Rock Me Over.
Now a healthy nine-year-old, Tubbs Farquhar began from the No. 3 barrier in the 2130m Steelos Pace on Friday night with a record of just two placings from 35 starts at Gloucester Park, and, surprisingly, he was the $3 favourite.
He was a gift horse in August 2021 for Coolup trainer Hayden Reeves and his wife Ashleigh, and he has been an honest and handy performer, with Friday night’s victory taking his record for them to 58 starts for seven wins and 13 placings. Five of those wins were at Albany and one at Wagin, and he now boasts a career record of 113 starts for 16 wins, 27 placings and $111,358 in prizemoney.
Reeves was not at Gloucester Park on Friday night when Tubbs Farquhar was in the care of Corey Rogers. Reeves was at the meeting at Bunbury’s Donaldson Park where the best of his five runners was Lucy Helen, with a third placing.
Tubbs Farquhar has had seven trainers during his career, and Stuart McDonald is one of 21 drivers to have handled the WA-bred gelding in his long career.
McDonald sent Tubbs Farquhar straight to the front from the No. 3 barrier and the gelding set the pace and won by almost a length from the $3.70 third fancy Mister Linton, who was shuffled back to seventh at the bell before finishing with a powerful burst. Name In Lights ($26) ran on, out five wide, from eighth at the bell to finish third.
“The plan was to lead because that’s where he goes best,” said McDonald. “However, I thought he went unders and was pretty lucky to win. But we take what we can get.
“He didn’t get out of the gate like he should, and after getting away with what he did (a slow 38sec. lead time and opening quarters of 31.5sec. and 30.3sec.) he should have run home a lot better than he did and win a lot easier. So, I was disappointed with the way he went.”