By Matt Markham
The tale of how Tutoko Kid came to win his maiden race at Motukarara on Sunday is not your traditional harness racing success story.
In fact it couldn’t be much further from being unusual.
But when the ghostly grey, trained by Ashburton horsewoman, Kelley Duncan, found clear air and powered home over the top of his rivals to win at odds of $63-to-one on Sunday, he proved that there is no true proven formula for the path to success.
It was Duncan’s first success as a trainer, but not her first harness racing victory as her and her husband Brent had enjoyed success in the past as owners with Grant Lea who won five out of the Maxine Green stable.
They bred Tutoko Kid after being on the lookout for a grey standardbred mare to breed to one of Duncan’s arab stallions with a view to producing an endurance horse – another passion of hers.
Bred from a mare who was initially sourced to breed to Arab stallions to produce endurance horses the big son of Klondike Kid has taken plenty of time to fill out his big frame.
“There have been times where I’ve wondered if he would make it,” Duncan admitted.
“He’s a bit of a laid back sort of horse and probably not that competitive so it’s been a case of trying different things with him along the way.”
After qualifying and racing a few times without success, Duncan decided to put a bit of variety into the life of the big grey and took him and trained him last summer to become an endurance horse, riding him over long distances in some of the most serene trekking spots available in the South Island.
“We had a bit of success with Grant Lea when we took him and started riding him and the same with another horse, Smokin Hot Salma too, so it was a proven thing for us.
“It’s just a case of trying to keep things different I think, they seem to enjoy that.”
After his stint as a saddle horse, Tutoko Kid returned to training and although results weren’t instant there was enough promise there.
As the first horse Duncan has trained, she relied on the advice and teachings of others to help along the way and said that if it hadn’t have been for that help they wouldn’t have achieved Sunday’s victory.
“We’ve been incredibly lucky,” she said.
“Carl and Lyn Markham did a great job getting him up and going and qualified, then Nigel Perkins gave me plenty of help too.
“And then, recently, we have been really lucky to have had some ideas and tips from Colin DeFilippi and he produced a great drive to get him up on Sunday.
“It was a great thrill, half way down the straight I was thinking we were going to get a fourth or fifth and it was going to be great, but he just kept coming.”
The Duncan’s will continue their march forward this weekend when Tutoko Kid lines up at the Ashburton Trotting Club meeting on Saturday – a foray on the home track.
Then there are the brothers and sisters to Tutoko Kid at home to get excited about too.
“There’s a full brother, he’s going to take a bit more time I think because he’s a big lump of a horse too. “And the latest is a filly by Ohoka Arizona, we had to go to a smaller stallion because the mare kept producing such big foals.”
Duncan’s not sure if she will end up training the siblings or not though.
“I don’t know if the nerves can take it or not,” she laughed.
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