Trots Centre: The little foal who overcame Tuff times to triumph

Walter Turco will have plenty to be chuffed about when Tuffanuff chases a second successive win from a favourable draw at Echuca tonight, with the mare more “pet” than racehorse.

With his wife Debra, the owner-trainer-breeder has spent more time than he’d care to admit by the Modern Art mare’s side, but the rewards for their early diligence have been forthcoming and could well continue in the Super Clean Linen Service Pace tonight.

“When Tuffanuff was born her mother (Xmas In Manhattan) rejected her, so she was basically an orphan foal,” Turco said. “The mare was good enough to let us milk her, so we could feed the foal, but she was otherwise hand reared.

_{Picture: Tuffanuff, then a foal, visits the kitchen window ahead of feed time.}

“Initially we had to feed her every two hours – either my wife or myself would milk the mare and then feed the foal. As she got to three months we started to introduce artificial milk and did a combination for another couple of months.

“It got to the stage she was starting to eat on her own. We put her in next to her grand dam (Manhattan Spring) and her grandmother basically brought her up after that.

“She survived and that was the main thing. Regardless of what happened we were happy to make sure she would have a good home if she didn’t make a racehorse.”

It was back in January 2006 that Turco purchased Manhattan Spring, who would produce two wins for him and three foals: Xmas In Manhattan ($21,600), Mister Manhattan ($111,142) and Mistress Manhattan ($1.968).

Xmas In Manhattan registered four wins before being pared with Modern Art to produce Tuffanuff, who overcame her unorthodox upbringing and was put into neighbouring trainer Craig Turnbull’s care.

“I sent her over to Craig’s because I was pretty busy and wanted an opinion from him about whether she was going to make a good horse, because I had nothing to work her with,” Turco said.

“He gave her a bit of a work out and said she goes all right. She went to the trials, ran second, then ran second at Bendigo in her first start and won at Cobram. She had one more start before we gave her a spell.

“I brought her back home and started working her and covid then started coming in, so I said to Craig would it be all right if I kept training her myself. He said ‘it’s your horse, you don’t have to ask me’.”

Tuffanuff returned from her spell at Echuca on August 3 to run third, then nine days later finished sixth at Shepparton, having both times been three back on the pegs in the running.

And it was the case again at Shepparton on August 25, but on this occasion reinswoman Abbey Turnbull was able to find a gap leading into the final turn and Tuffanuff built nicely into the race, snatching the lead in the closing strides to register Turco’s first training win in 1308 days.

“She is a really funny horse,” he said. “She seems to take a bit to get her wound up. In the races that she hasn’t shown anything it’s usually because she’s been checked or hasn’t been able to get out and get the momentum she needs.

“It’s amazing how it takes a while for her to get her momentum going, but she has reasonably good gate speed.”

The latter fact is important tonight, when she will start from gate one on Echuca’s 800-metre track.

“It is a good draw. She led at Cobram when she won, so she can get out well, but I will leave it in Abbey’s hands. If she wants to hold them out it will be Abbey’s decision. They are a good combo. She’s got the mare figured out."

And a good performance tonight will only further inflate Turco’s hopes of aiming high with the mare.

“She is paid up for Vicbred and Breeders Crown – like everyone you would love to have a go at those races and have a chance,” he said. “It will depend on how much she improves. After (tonight) I will give her a week off and then bring her back in to get her up for November. You’ve got to dream.”

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