Penvose Lad thriving in Southland
Joshua Smith • December 19th, 2025 9:43 AM
Former Cantabrian Penvose Lad is loving life in the deep south.
Formerly trained by Riccarton horsewoman Anna Furlong, the now five-year-old gelding won three races before joining Ebony Turner’s Riverton barn in search of more forgiving footing in spring.
“I got approached by his owners. They felt that the tracks were getting too hard for him up there (Canterbury) and if he was going to be travelling south for softer track conditions, he may as well be trained down here, and I was the lucky one that got the phone call,” Turner said.
After running seventh fresh-up at Wingatui last month, he strung together two runner-up efforts over Cromwell’s two-day meeting, much to the delight of Turner.
“In that first-up run he couldn’t get any clear running room at all, and it was gutting to see as he went to the line completely untested,” she said.
“We were always confident that we were going to see his form turn around and we were pleased that he did it over the two-day meeting at Cromwell with all of his owners there. It made for a lovely weekend away.”
Turner has been pleased with the way he has progressed since his Cromwell runs and she is hoping he can go one better at Gore on Sunday when he contests the Dynes Transport Tapanui Cup (1335m).
“He has come through Cromwell in super order and we thought why not have a go at the Tapanui Cup?” Turner said.
“It is definitely not a weak field, but he has got a good weight (54kg) and he has definitely shown that he can stand up to horses like that.”
Penvose Lad has drawn out wide in barrier 10, but that poses no concerns for Turner.
“I am not too stressed about the draw,” she said. “He is the kind of horse that you can place wherever you like. He will find his feet and run home.”
On the undercard, stablemate Quick Tap will be seeking to record a hat-trick of wins in the AB Lime & RTL 1200.
After 18 months away from the track, she won first-up at Cromwell last month before repeating the result at the Central Otago track a couple of days later.
“She was very impressive at Cromwell,” Turner said. “It was nice to see off such a lengthy spell.
“She has come through Cromwell in excellent order and is firing on all cylinders. It will be pretty cool if we could do a hat-trick on Sunday.”
She will be joined in the race by stablemate Miss Pearl, who will be having her first start for Turner.
“She is just going around for a run to get a line on her,” Turner said. “She has been getting jogged by a trotting trainer for the last three months and I have only had her for a few weeks.
“It is a starting point for her, she is obviously looking for the 1600m. Fingers-crossed we can target the mile series with her.”
Turner will also be represented by Whiny Meow in the Rob Dennis Racing & Jad Stable 1800, while she will be a keeping a close eye on the weather ahead of Caffeinated’s tilt at the MLT/Forest Lodge 2000.
“I am hoping Whiny Meow will like the 1800m,” she said. “He is no champion, but he always tries hard and he got absolutely no luck at Invercargill last week. I thought we would go to Gore, give him a shot over 1800m and see what he can do.
“Caffeinated is in really good order, her fourth in the Cromwell Cup was a massive effort after her run on the first day where she didn’t get time to have a breath at all.
“I am a little bit worried about the rain that is in the forecast. If it does come, then she will potentially be pulled out of the race because she doesn’t like much moisture in the track at all.
“Her target is more the Summer Cup at Riverton on New Year’s Day.”
