Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Full-brothers Machtu and Eloquent Mach were prolific winners in Western Australia in the past decade, but their younger half-sister Tenehi has been far less prominent, not having raced.
But Tenehi could be making her mark as a broodmare, with her first foal Ruia showing promise for Busselton owner-trainer Barry Howlett.
Ruia broke through for her first city success and her second win in a ten-start career when Chris Lewis drove her to an eye-catching last-to-first victory in the $21,000 Westral Quality Since 1973 Pace for two-year-old fillies at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Ruia is by Sweet Lou, and Howlett would dearly love her to develop into a highly successful pacer like Machtu and Eloquent Mach.
Machtu won at three of his five starts in New Zealand and then won 14 times in WA (and finished third behind Three Blind Mice in the 2014 WA Derby) before being sold to America where he won another 45 times and was retired with a record of 320 starts for 62 wins, 96 placings and $560,602.
Eloquent Mach was placed once from two New Zealand starts before being sent to WA where he won two Group 2 events at Gloucester Park in 2019, the Western Gateway Classic and the Binshaw Pace and was retired with a record of 42 starts for 13 wins, seven placings and stakes of $203,935.
Ruia was an $8.20 chance from her awkward draw at barrier seven on Friday night when Lewis did not bustle her while the $2.05 favourite and stylish last-start Northam winner Lucky Copy set a fast early pace, with a brisk lead time of 36.2sec.
Ruia was last in the field of nine at the bell where $10 chance The First Cut was dashing forward, three wide, and being tracked by Ladieshavtime. Lewis switched Ruia out five wide on the home turn and the filly finished powerfully to win by a half-length from The First Cut, with Ladieshavtime running on to be a close third.
Ruia, who also possesses excellent gate speed and is a good frontrunner, has had ten starts for two wins, five placings and $28,356.