The 2016 Racing Queensland UBET winter carnival is fast approaching and in the coming weeks, Queensland harness broadcaster Chris Barsby will profile a number of major players vying for the top prizes.
With 18 Black Type races on the program for the 2016 Winter Carnival, the carnival’s pinnacle in 2016 is the G1 Blacks A Fake, which now boasts an impressive $200,000 in stakes.
The carnival spans from May 28 to July 30.
Here’s a profile featuring an outstanding New Zealand pacer that looks certain to be a major player in all of the upcoming features.
Name: Ohoka Punter
Stable Name: Punta
Age: 6yo stallion
Owner: Katie Carville, Tony Herlihy & Stephen Waters
Trainer: Nathan Purdon
Driver: Nathan Purdon
Prizemoney: $788,044
Biggest win: Victoria Derby, Great Northern Derby & Shepparton Cup
Target: $50,000 Sunshine Sprint (July 9) & $200,000 Blacks A Fake (July 16)
Trainer says: "He’s a super wee horse with loads of ability and it’s such a thrill to be in charge of him heading into this carnival. I thought his first-up victory was really good because he travelled so easily and felt very comfortable at the line; he will take great benefit from that outing and should be peaking nicely come July when the bigger races roll around".
Barsby says: "Wow! Talk about making a statement in your first outing at a new venue with a new trainer/driver. That was a first over crush at its best and he clearly underlined his class and raw power with an arrogant victory, can only keep improving considering that was his first start since March and without a public trial. The competition will get harder in the coming weeks but I will thoroughly enjoy seeing this class horse compete".