Pungo posts maiden win

Pungo overcame rain-affected conditions to clear maiden ranks with an impressive win at Warwick Farm on Wednesday.

The three-year-old colt was sent out as race favourite when having just his second start and after leading the pack into the straight, raced away to win by nearly three lengths.

Purchased out of KB Bloodstock’s 2021 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready To Run draft, the son of So You Think has an ownership group that includes sporting stars Israel Dagg, Beauden Barrett and Brendon McCullum, as well as actor Karl Urban. The Carter family’s Jomara Bloodstock are also in the ownership.

“He has always shown us a bit in his trials,” trainer Chris Waller said. “His first up run was good over 1200m and today out to 1400m was probably not a real test, but I like the way he just quickened at the 300m mark.”

“The team (owners) are a pretty enthusiastic group and there are some high-profile names and they’re going to have some fun with him. Let’s hope we can get him up to some bigger and better things.”