Trots star faces long recovery after op

One New Zealand trotting star should remind punters how special he is today while another disappears from their minds for months.

Oscar Bonavena, the horse rated perhaps New Zealand’s best trotter, is set to miss most of next season after an operation which will see him require six months in the paddock before he even resumes work.

He was found to have a bone chip in a knee and while his prognosis is good, the long recovery means he may not race until autumn next year.

“It is very disappointing but we will give him all the time he needs,” says co-trainer Mark Purdon.

So highly did Purdon rate Oscar Bonavena early this season he spoke of potentially taking him to North America next year to attack their biggest races.

The only silver lining to the cloud over his career now is being a trotter and only rising five if, as expected, he makes a full recovery he could still have several seasons of racing with elite level trotters often racing until they are nine or even 10-year-olds.

Although Oscar Bonavena won’t be seen with a race sulky for the remainder of the year, one of the other most exciting trotters in the country should win again at Invercargill today.

Ultimate Stride ( Race 11, 4.35pm) takes on older horses from a standing start but trainer Phil Williamson says neither factor concerns him.

“He has beautiful manners so I’d be stunned if he galloped from the standing start,” says Williamson.

“Being a big field there is always the chance being off 20m they can have traffic problems but on the whole he should be too good for them.”

A high-priced yearling purchase, Ultimate Stride dominated Australia’s best young trotters winning the Breeders Crown last season and returned with an effortless win in a mobile start race two weeks ago.

Punters looking for a lunchtime bet could do worse than double down in race two on the Williamson team.

“We have two trotters in the second race and I think one of the two will win,” says the trotting supremo.

“The two-year-old Love N The Port might be the best of them and would probably win on raw ability but if he doesn’t then one of our others in Springbank Mason is also a good chance.”