Long and the short of sport
IF horse racing is the sport of kings, then it’s only fitting jockey Hugh Bowman and basketballer Andrew Bogut share the same stage on a super Saturday in Sydney.
As Bowman rides Brave Smash in the $13 million TAB Everest at Royal Randwick, Bogut will be making his NBL debut when the Kings take on the Adelaide 36ers at Qudos Bank Arena.
It’s rare that hoops and horse racing cross-promote but tomorrow they’ll join forces on a bumper day of sport in the Harbour City.
The Kings take on Adelaide in their season-opener from 2.50pm and will show The Everest, the world’s richest race on turf, on the big screen when the gates crash back at 4.15pm sharp.
Both men have two of the toughest jobs in Australian sport. Bowman is the regular rider of champion mare Winx, charged with continuing her amazing 28-race winning streak, while Bogut has been brought in to turn around the fortunes of a Kings franchise stuck in the doldrums the past few years.
While Bogut isn’t the biggest horse racing pundit, but he was happy to join forces with a giant of the track in Bowman.
“Hugh is taller than I thought,” Bogut joked as he stood face-to-face with Bowman as champion Winx jockey used a chair to make up for the height difference.
“He actually said he was one of the taller jockeys in the clubhouse.
“I don’t know that much about horse racing but now I have an affiliation with somebody I will follow it a little bit more. It is a big weekend for sport in Sydney and it is good to have the Sydney Kings a part of that.
As a self-confessed sport lover, Bowman was equally enthused to meet Bogut for the first time. The boy from Dunedoo in the NSW Central West grew up following basketball, so he felt honoured to rub shoulders with a former NBA champion.
“It is cool because it is just good to see basketball back on everyone’s lips,” said Bowman, whose Everest ride Brave Smash is a $14 TAB chance.
“I remember as a kid it was pretty big, especially the Kings. They were up there with the Swans and any of the NRL teams. But the sport sort of went off into the wilderness for a few years but with Andrew back it has drawn a bit of attention and a lot of spotlight on not only the Kings but basketball.”