A career from 'out of the blue'

Rotorua's Bill Pomare is no stranger to living around horses after growing up riding them to school.

Every year for the past 20 years the local trainer and breeder has entered at least one horse into the prestigious Rotorua Cup Day, and today is no different, with two of his horses featuring at Arawa Park.

Pomare said he had seen some good wins over the years at the Rotorua Cup Day, including a victory in the high-profile Rotorua Stakes race.

Interestingly, Pomare said after growing up around horses it was not until later in life that he became interested in horse racing. He said in 1988 a friend of his was going to a market in Cambridge to buy a horse and he simply tagged along.

"I went for a ride and of course when I was going through a catalogue I saw a name I recognised, Flying Beau. My late wife used to ride the horse's mother Flying Idyll," he said. "Out of the blue I started bidding."

He said he ended up buying the horse, marking the start of his training, breeding and owning career.

"All my horses derive from that one mare, Flying Beau."

Pomare has won 52 races in total from horses related to Flying Beau, including six horses which have won at least $100,000 each.

Pomare said he hoped to add to the tally today when his horse Fastnfree takes part in race four, with the chance of becoming his seventh horse to earn $100,000.

However, Pomare said he did not have any horses in the $70,000 Campbell Infrastructure Rotorua Cup and the $50,000 Windsor Park Stud Rotorua Stakes race.

Pomare said there was a rich history behind the Rotorua Cup Day with loads of people enjoying the atmosphere at Arawa Park. "Many years ago you couldn't even get a seat in the grandstand it was that popular," he said.

"Since phone betting and things like that have been introduced the crowds are not as big but we still get some pretty good crowds along.

"I think if you really want to enjoy the sensation of the horses racing you need to be at the track."

Today marks the 68th year of the Rotorua Cup being contested at Arawa Park. Only one Rotorua owner/trainer has a horse in the Campbell Infrastructure Rotorua Cup race today - Tracy Parnell with her horse Grey Power.

Favourites for the big race include two-time winner Indikator and the promising two-year-old Sum Up.

If Te Aroha horse Indikator wins today it will become the first horse in history to win the Rotorua Cup three times.

The first race of the Rotorua Cup Day gets underway at 11.42am today at Arawa Park, with the feature races starting at 2.31pm for the Rotorua Cup and 3.41pm for the Rotorua Stakes race. Gates open at 10am with free entry.

Pomare lives on a section of land near Hamurana, where he still trains and breeds horses.