Former Victorian sire Pillar Of Hercules was represented by his first TAB winner at the Warrnambool carnival on Wednesday.

The Terry & Karina O’Sullivan trained three year-old Vatiaz took a short-cut on the corner to score by a long neck in the Coffey Hunt Accountants Maiden (1700m).   She appreciated travelling past a mile for the first time and, despite recent placings at Stawell and Hamilton, paid $21 on the TAB.

Vatiaz was bred by Stawell-based Susan Davidson and she races the filly with Karina and a syndicate of stable clients.  “Sue’s an old friend and came down in a bus with all the other owners this morning,” O’Sullivan said.  “We were confident after the way the filly worked last week and it was a perfect ride by Jack (Hill).”

Davidson also raced the filly’s dam Mina Koya (Dexter) who won a Warrnambool hurdle back in 2005 when partnered by visiting Irish jockey Denis O’Regan.  The mare is from a half-sister to the dams of Umaline (G2 Kewney Stakes) & Captain Sonador (G1 Epsom Hcp).

Pillar Of Gold scored the first win for Pillar Of Hercules last October when she lobbed at a place called Pooncarie in the far west of NSW.

Pillar Of Hercules (Rock Of Gibraltar) was a top-class staying prospect for Peter Moody after winning the 2007 Norman Robinson Stakes at Caulfield, however, the colt’s career hit a brick wall when police questioned the bona fides of his owners.

Subsequently sold for $1.80 million to Dynamic Syndications, he never recaptured that three year-old form and was retired to stand with Gary Mudgway at Grange Thoroughbreds in Arcadia.

“Pillar Of Hercules had changed hands again by the time he arrived here,” Mudgway said.  “A fellow from Thailand owned him and he was happy for the horse just to serve his own mares and some of mine.  But he had a stroke after a couple of years and his family weren’t interested in standing a stallion.”

Subsequently gelded, Pillar Of Hercules was sent to Adelaide and put back into work only to break down first-up as a nine year-old at Morphettville.

“He deserved better than that so I brought him back home,” ‘Mudge’ recalled.  “I thought he would live out his days here until a lady from NSW rang and said he would be perfect for project she had in mind.

“Now he’s the star of promotional videos that teach people how to rehome thoroughbreds.  After all he’s been through, it couldn’t have happened to lovelier horse.”

PILLAR OF HERCULES