[PHOTO: Kalgoorlie Boulder Racing Club]
Pearce Racing brought up a winning double from three starters at Kalgoorlie on Sunday when stablemates Laughing Buddha and Bird’s The Word took out the NJ Industries Handicap (1600m) and Goldfields Variety Handicap (1100m) respectively.
Dissident three-year-old Laughing Buddha ($5.50) produced an emphatic performance when rider Natasha Faithfull made a mid-race move from their three-back-the-fence position to circle the field and hit the lead approaching the home turn.
The gelding skipped clear on straightening and ran away from his rivals to defeat race-favourite My Boy Eddy ($1.65) by three-and-a-half lengths, with I Am King ($11) a further length-and-a-quarter away in third place.
Laughing Buddha has now had 10 career starts for two wins, four minor placings and $36,141 in stake earnings.
Meanwhile, fellow three-year-old Bird’s The Word ($2.90) landed his first win of his campaign later in the day when proving too strong with apprentice Austin Galati aboard.
The Galah gelding settled outside of the leader in running before hitting the front passing the 100m mark and pulled away to win by more than a length on the line.
Town Hall ($9) made late ground to finish second, with Safe Secret ($10) a further length away in third place.
Purchased for only $12,000 as a yearling, Bird’s The Word has now raced 21 times for an impressive six wins, six minor placings and $160,657 in stake earnings and Westspeed Platinum bonuses.
Pearce Racing have prepared a career-high 85 winners for the 2022/23 season, putting the stable in second place in the state leaderboard.