Te Awamutu Cup success for Drop Of Something

[Wandering Eyes]

Japanese apprentice Yuga Okubo cheekily suggested he could win four races at Te Rapa on Saturday from his four rides during a pre-raceday interview on Saturday morning and he nearly made good on that promise as he completed a winning treble with victory aboard Drop Of Something in the main flat race on the day, the UBP Te Awamutu Cup (1600m)

The winner of four races in Japan before his arrival in New Zealand in early 2024, the likeable Okubo has created a good impression on some influential members of the racing community including trainers Lance O’Sullivan and Andrew Scott who provided the first of his winning treble with Ribkraka taking out race three on the card.

Okubo scored again aboard the Tim & Margaret Carter-prepared Family Folks in race six by weaving a path towards the inside rail in the home straight and he repeated that pattern aboard Drop Of Something just one race later.

The Wayne Hillis-trained five-year-old son of Telperion had shown he was ready to win again after finishing third behind Soldier Boy at the venue last month and performed up to expectations as he settled well back before Okubo began to hustle him along closer to the inside as the leading pack ran wide around the home bend.

Just as it looked like race favourite Joshua Brown would hold off all challengers, Drop Of Something forged to the lead at the 100m and went on to win by a long neck from the favourite and Diamond Jak who battled gamely for third.

Hillis didn’t have high hopes for a winning result when he saw how far back his charge was as runners headed to the home bend.

“I was thinking we were no chance on the corner as we were back and he didn’t look like he was going that good while I thought the place to be was wider out and not on the inner,” Hillis said.

“To his credit the boy stuck to his guns and he had won on a similar path in the previous race so he knew it wasn’t that bad down there.

“I’ve had him (Okubo) on a few now and he is very balanced and has a lot of potential. You don’t get many 4kg claimers who are as strong as he is and I would expect he is going to be very popular over the next few months.”

Hillis is looking forward to another Te Rapa prize at the end of the month with Drop Of Something being aimed at the Callinan Family Taumarunui Gold Cup (2100m) on 26 July.

“This guy does like the mud and he has really strengthened up in the past year,” he said.

“He tries really hard and I think he is ready to go further than a mile now.

‘We’d like to take him to New Plymouth for an open 1800m race on Opunake Cup day then back him up a week later in the Taumarunui Gold Cup.”

Bred by the late Emma Evans and racing under the Evans Breeding Ltd banner, Drop Of Something is a son of the Don Eduardo mare Nothing More and has now won seven of his 42 starts and over $224,000 in prizemoney.

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