Paul Vettise, LOVERACING.NZ News Desk 23 September 2026
A pair of highly regarded debut winners will bid to further their records this weekend for Bill Thurlow, with the younger of the duo out to add serious momentum to his bid for elite age group honours.
The Waverley trainer will be represented by Old Fashioned in Saturday’s Gr.2 The Foxes @ Novara Park Hawke’s Bay Guineas (1400m) while the following day the promising Makarov will step out at his home meeting.
Old Fashioned was a comfortable winner at Wanganui at the first and only time of asking last season and has progressed well since returning from a break.
“He has always showed us a fair bit and looks well above average,” Thurlow said.
“We got him a bit late after he’d had a ready to run prep and we only really had the time to give him the one run and put him out.
“Even then he didn’t have a very long spell to get him back for the spring.”
The son of Proisir has been given two 1000m trials at Foxton to fit him for his return and won the latest of them in fine style.
“It was a good trial and we asked a little bit more of him, we didn’t in the first trial, and he did it really well,” Thurlow said.
“We were mindful he has to go 1400m in a strong race on Saturday, so he needed a good hit-out and he responded well to beat the older horses, it was a good effort.”
Kelly Myers has been aboard the colt in all of his trials and debut victory and will again take the reins at Hastings.
“She came through and galloped him on Tuesday morning as well and she wants to stay with him and we’re happy to have her on,” Thurlow said.
Old Fashioned holds a nomination for the Gr.1 Al Basti Equiworld Dubai New Zealand 2000 Guineas (1600m), but plotting a program south will be a challenge.
“It’s really difficult in the Central Districts, we just haven’t got the tracks to run the better races,” Thurlow said.
“We’ll get through the weekend and see what happens and he might have to have another run somewhere up here before he goes to Riccarton, otherwise he would be down there too long if he went to the War Decree (Gr.3, 1400m).
“Travel back and forth isn’t an option with a young horse, but we’ll work through that after Saturday.”
Old Fashioned is raced by breeders Matthew Goodson and Dianna Perron and joined Thurlow’s team after he failed to meet his $150,000 reserve at New Zealand Bloodstock’s Ready to Run Sale.
“We’ve had a few for them and they are really good owners, we won a Listed race (Warstep Stakes, 2000m) with No Rain Ever,” Thurlow said.
“Most of the others were tried a bit and came here for a different lifestyle.
“We’ve also got a Pierro filly here for them now, she’s an unraced three-year-old.”
Meanwhile, Thurlow tipped Makarov, a first-up winner over 1400m at Hastings last month, as his leading chance at Waverley where he will run in the Pioneer – P9091 (1650m).
“He’s a progressive horse who I think can go through the grades,” he said.
