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Old Fashioned win at Whanganui
Joshua Smith, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk • June 13th, 2026 1:40 pm
Old Fashioned winning on debut at Whanganui on Saturday | Photo: Peter Rubery (Race Images)
Promising two-year-old Old Fashioned won impressively on debut at Whanganui on Saturday, but trainers Bill Thurlow and Sam O’Malley are resisting the temptation of pressing on to black-type targets for now.
Bred and raced by the Goodson and Perron Family Trust, Old Fashioned had shown his handlers plenty at home, with his debut trial victory over 1000m at his home track of Waverley last week also catching the eye of punters, who kept him safe as a $3.70 third elect for the Wanganui Function Centre 2YO 1200.
The son of Proisir rocketed out of the gates and jockey Kelly Myers sent him straight to the front to assume the pace making role. The Mark Walker and Sam Bergerson-trained Sword Of Steel quickly loomed up alongside him, and it was a two-horse race along way from home. Following a good duel up the straight, Old Fashioned got the better of his rival and dashed away in the concluding stages to win by 1-1/2 lengths.
Bill Thurlow has a high opinion of his colt and he was pleased he delivered on his early promise on debut.
“He has shown us a lot from day one,” he said. “You don’t like to say too much before raceday, but at home we were quietly confident.
“He is still pretty raw, he has had a jumpout and a trial and he is up against some horses that have done a lot more than that. He is only going to learn from that and the way he drew out in that last bit was very encouraging.”
The Listed Castletown Stakes (1200m) and Listed Courtesy Ford Ryder Stakes (1200m) at Otaki next month loom as obvious targets, but Thurlow said he is going to bypass those dangling carrots in favour of freshening Old Fashioned for three-year-old stakes targets in spring.
“We are one and out, that was always the plan win, lose or draw,” Thurlow said. “He will go to the paddock today for a month or so and he will come back and we will aim for some better stuff in the spring as a three-year-old.”
