Harness
Arum A Late Bloomer - Breaks Through For Maiden Win at 9
Discovered amongst the arum lillies on his Waroona property, after stumbling away from his mum soon after birth, it was only fitting that his race name became Arum, and he was given plenty of time to bloom by his very patient trainer, Ray Woodley.
At nine-year-old, he finally made his debut to racing, and on Tuesday at Gloucester Park he broke through for his maiden win, a moment he never thought would arise.
"He was about two or three when I sent him to get broken in and he just couldn't pace naturally.
"So we turned him out and I brought him back in for a prep as a 4yo, and he didn't have a clue, he couldn't put it together, basically it wasn't looking good for his career, I tried everything, I just couldn't get him to pace.
"I decided to basically forget about him, he probably won't make it to the racetrack, he must have been about six or seven and I brought him back in, and he started to show signs that he knew what this was all about."
With life getting busy for Ray Woodley, and work becoming more of the priority, Arum found himself once again on the back burner, but when his friend Leigh got sick, the pair needed something to look forward to, and that's exactly what Arum did.
"I thought it would be good for her, she just said to me "I'd like to see the horse race."
Speaking with owner Leigh Milewicz, she mentioned that during her treatment, the doctors said to find something to focus on, and that became 'Joe' who was more than just a horse during her time of need.
It wasn't until 2024 that Ray Woodley got really serious about the horse, and this year it was a real lightbulb moment, and everything just clicked for the Cams Fool USA gelding.
On Tuesday he started from barrier 12 in the maiden event at Gloucester Park, driven by Trent Wheeler and they won confidently by 5.5m in 1:57:8, and Ray Woodley is excited for the future with his lightly campaigned, yet mature in age horse.
He heads to Pinjarra on Monday, a race that is a little up in class for him Woodley said, but being a nervy type, he will appreciate the shorter float trip and the run closer to home.
Arum is a part of the family around Woodleys farm, always the first one up to greet him at the gate.
"He's just a lovely horse, I worked him this morning before I went to the track and he was the first one to meet me in the paddock, he's a real character. Not a nasty bone in his body."
Arum will race at Pinjarra before having a couple of easy weeks before Woodley presses forward for the remainder of his preparation.
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