Belle of Montana resumes
Australasian harness racing fans can thank Oamaru reinswoman Charlotte Purvis, her love of horses and determined attitude, if an open class trotting star is born when Oscar Bonavena contests today’s Dominion at Addington.
On paper it may look as if the All Stars trotter is set to complete just another perfectly plotted path to big race glory for trainers Mark Purdon and Natalie Rasmussen.
However, a look further back shows the exciting trotter has had to overcome odds exponentially higher than what he will pay to win the 3200m feature just to be in the race.
Oscar Bonavena needed a miracle just to be a racehorse and Purvis was the driving force behind making it happen.
The Majestic Son trotter was born weak and unable to stand on what vets deemed were legs too crooked for a potential racehorse.
Purvis said the horse, who was delivered early unexpectedly and started feeding him by bottle, barely showing any signs of life before she quickly began nursing him back to health.
Vets advice to Purvis’s father, John, who bred the horse, was that the foal’s chances of being a successful racehorse were slim because of his crooked legs and his missing out on vital colostrum enriched milk from his dam immediately after being born.
Purvis told her father she was not having any of that talk and continued to hand feed the foal.
‘‘The vet said because his legs were not that straight and because he had not been fed colostrum straight away he didn’t have much chance of making a racehorse,’’ she said.
‘‘But I told Dad he wouldn’t be worrying about any of that and I kept looking after him.’’
After helping keep the foal alive, Purvis handed over duties to Nevele R Stud staff, who continued to help Oscar Bonavena get on his feet.
‘‘After a couple of days we were able to get the mare and foal to Nevele R and they kept feeding him. Eventually he was strong enough to stand on his own and then drink off his mother.’’
‘‘As he got older his legs got stronger and he was perfectly healthy.’’
Purvis’ early work with the trotter meant he was almost certain to end up in her care.
Her father sent her the trotter and Oscar Bonavena was to be a ‘‘project horse’’ for the horsewoman and her partner, reinsman Matthew Williamson.
Oscar Bonavena soon showed the only project he was concerned about was running fast.
He went on to win his first start as a two year old before pushing All Stars trotter Enhance Your Calm, who was seen as an unbeatable force at the time, in his Sires Stakes win.
That performance led to Oscar Bonavena being sold by John Purvis in a big money deal that saw him transfer from Phil Williamson’s barn to the All Stars stable.
Mark Purdon trialed the horse for his new owners – his father, the former champion trainer, Roy Purdon, and former New Zealand trainer Chris Ryder, who runs a successful stable in New Jersey.
The master trainer-driver said Oscar Bonavena gave him the feel of a good horse as soon as he sat behind him.
‘‘He just gave me a great feel,’’ Purdon said. ‘‘Phil is great with the trotters and he had a very high opinion of him, so that gave me a bit more confidence that he was going to be a good buy.’’
Months later Purdon’s new owners faced similar vets advice about Oscar Bonavena to what the Purvis family had received earlier – that his legs were not up for racing.
More specifically, the horse was diagnosed with a cyst on his knee, a rare condition that ruled out racing.
Purdon admitted there was a time when he Oscar Bonavena’s racing prospects were very bleak.
‘‘It was a lot of money to pay for a horse and there was a time when it looked like we could have done our money.’’
‘‘But everything is back on track now, he is good and sound and we look like we have a very exciting horse on our hands.’’
Some high level veterinary research coupled with Purdon’s genius horsemanship combined to help Oscar Bonavena recover from the potentially careerending injury.
The troubled knee has held up so well since, it has allowed him to catapult to the top of the New Zealand trotting ranks in his seven starts since May.
And apart from one standing start mishap, that did not stop him winning, everything has gone perfectly.
‘‘He had a great preparation and I think when we nominated him he was about 45th in the ranking for the Dominion and now he is right up the ladder and come in to favorite,’’ Purdon said. ‘‘So, he has had a great prep and I couldn’t be happier with him.’’
Glamour mare Belle Of Montana makes a welcome resumption at Alexandra Park tonight.
Last season’s Filly of the Year has had two workouts in preparation and trainer Barry Purdon says both he and driver Zachary Butcher have been satisfied with proceedings.
‘‘Really happy,’’ he told HRNZ. ‘‘I think she may be a little bit vulnerable this week from a wide draw against some good ones, but she is there to win.’’
After enjoying a good, and well-earned, winter spell, it took some extra work to get the daughter of Bettor’s Delight back in to race trim. ‘‘She’s been pretty big in condition and isn’t quite there yet but is looking a picture.’’
Belle Of Montana strikes a strong field over the mobile mile which includes the likes of Star Galleria, The Devils Own and her own stablemates, Havtime and On The Cards, who are both also resuming.
Purdon believes On The Cards is the fittest and despite drawing the outside alley, probably presents as the best of his hopes.
‘‘He’s won both his trials and has gone good in doing so.He’s pretty forward for this week and it’s just the draw that will hurt his chances.’’
Belle Of Montana is being set for next month’s Group 1 Queen of Hearts, where she will likely go head to head with her nemesis from last season, Princess Tiffany. ‘‘After that, we’ll probably look across to Australia for the Ladyship Mile if she’s going good enough at the time.’’
Purdon was in Christchurch this week, for Mach Shard’s New Zealand Cup tilt on Tuesday and Wainui Creek’s $40,000 Mares Classic tilt today. Mach Shard isn’t backing up after a disappointing run, where we dropped away from a perfect striking position on the point of the turn.
‘‘We haven’t had the bloods back yet but he’s feeling a little bit down on himself. He’s just jarred up. It’s just one of those things you can’t do much about.’’