Bosson considers Australian stint
The plaudits Opie Bosson earned for his ride on Te Akau Shark at Moonee Valley last Saturday has the champion New Zealand jockey seriously considering a winter stint riding in Australia.
Bosson, 39, guided Te Akau Shark to finish third in the Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m) at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
‘‘The plan was to go back from the wide draw and, to be fair, I was hoping to get on the back of something to be able to go wider across the top,’’ Bosson said.
‘‘He (Te Akau Shark) hit a flat spot across the top when we were right behind the Japanese mare (the winner Lys Gracieux) and he took another 50 metres to get going again. At that stage Ben Melham (on 11th placed Homesman) was on my outside and wasn’t about to let me out.
‘‘They all peeled four and five wide and off the fence and that’s when I decided to stick to the rails. If I had have tried to go out wider we’d probably have ended up where Kings Will Dream did (sixth). I just wish he’d drawn a good barrier. We’d have been able to be three or four lengths closer in the running.’’
Bosson was full of praise for Te Akau Shark and can’t wait to be back riding him with the likely
target now being the Gr.1 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) in Sydney during autumn.
‘‘He can still run a top mile, but the Queen Elizabeth Stakes looks the race for him,’’ Bosson said. Bosson has always made the most of his hit-and-run raids on Australian carnivals, right back to landing his first Australian Group One win aboard Grand Archway in the 1998 Gr.1 VRC Oaks (2400m) at Flemington as an
18-year-old.
Since then he has ridden a further four Group One winners in Australia, Mongolian Khan in the 2015 ATC Derby (2400m) and Caulfield Cup (2400m), Turn Me Loose in the 2016 Futurity Stakes
(1400m) and Gingernuts in the
2017 Rosehill Guineas (2000m). He has won a host of other black-type Australian features and most times he has ventured across the Tasman he has been approached by Australian trainers to shift from New Zealand to try his luck there.
‘‘I’m contracted to Te Akau Racing (Stables) and that comes first, but it’s a quieter time for them in the winter months. I’d look at staying on in Sydney after the autumn carnival if that works out and Dave (Ellis, Te Akau Principal) is happy with it.
‘‘I’m determined to get out of here next winter and do something. Winter is so depressing and it’s hard to keep my weight down.’’ Meanwhile Bosson rides nine-time Gr1 winner Melody Belle in the Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) at Flemington on Saturday.