Bosson saves day for Kiwis
LEADING New Zealand jockey Opie Bosson has gone within half a length of winning the first of the Queensland Winter Carnival.
Bosson, riding the Chris Wallertrained Counterattack, came flying home late in the A$700,000 Doomben 10,000 but could quite not run down all the way leader Redzel.
If the 1200m race had been over 1250m, Bosson would have likely picked up a double at Doomben given one race later he rode Shocking Luck to victory in the A$125,000 Group III Rough Habit Plate (2000m).
The other Kiwi interest in the race, Start Wondering, was kept handy throughout the running by Johnathan Parkes but drifted back to sixth in the final stages.
The Evan and JJ Rayner-trained Start Wondering, who has already won Group I races the Railway and NRM sprint’s in New Zealand this season, certainly did not disgrace himself and proved he can be competitive across the Tasman.
Start Wondering’s stablemate Flying Fred finished 11th of 12 in a class two handicap at Doomben.
Aside from Shocking Luck’s victory, it was a day of near misses at Doomben on a testing soft 7 track.
Chocante and Zambezi Warrior finished off strongly to run third and fourth in the A$125,000 Group III Chairman’s Handicap (2000m).
The Stephen Marsh-trained Chocante raced close to the speed throughout and the way she hit the line was an encouraging sign for later in the carnival.
Zambezi Warrior, a lightly raced fouryear-old son of Pentire, made up stacks of ground late but neither of the Kiwis could match race favourite Stampede who beat home The Chairman by a length.
Chocante finished two and a quarter lengths behind Stampede with a further length and a quarter back to the Stephen Autridge and Jamie Richardstrained Zambezi Warrior.
Former Kiwi My Diamantine, who is still owned by John and Linda Wheeler, finished fifth.
In race five at Doomben, Te Akau colt Hall Of Fame finished fifth in his Australian debut.
The Autridge-Richards-trained Savabeel colt was four lengths off race winner Good Standing in the A$100,000 Queensland Day Stakes (1400m).
It was an encouraging start to the carnival on a track surface that was not suitable for the speedy colt.
In race three at Doomben, the Shaune Ritchie-trained Sultan of Swing was caught wide for much of the A$100,000 Singapore Turf Club Members Handicap (1600 metres) and finished back in ninth place – seven lengths of race winner Cantbuybetter.
Meanwhile, in South Australia, Savvy Dreams justified her late inclusion in the A$600,000 Group I South Australian Derby (2500m) with a staying performance that could not have been more impressive.
The daughter of Savabeel drew gate 19 and jockey Paul Gatt was caught three wide for most of the trip but the honest filly never gave up and finished just five and a half lengths off race winner and Kiwi-bred Volatile Mix.
Savvy Dreams had an interrupted preparation to the Derby after she was a late scratching from the Australasian Oaks seven days earlier when she reared up and flipped herself over before loading into the gates.
In New South Wales, former Te Akau mare Shillelagh ran a distant and disappointing last in the A$200,000 Group III Dark Jewel Classic (1400m) at Scone.
Champion trainer Chris Waller tipped Shillelagh to be the best of his three chances but the Savabeel mare never got into the contest.