Bostonian eyes A$14m showpiece
If Pike’s unlikely star can win the Stradbroke then the Everest becomes a real possibility
The money is obviously incredible and and who knows what could happen.
Tony Pike
Having achieved the highly unlikely, trainer Tony Pike says he wouldn’t mind a crack at the seemingly impossible with New Zealand racing’s latest hero horse Bostonian.
And if he can win the A$1.5 million Stradbroke in Brisbane in two weeks Pike might get to live that dream: an invite to the A$14m Everest at Randwick in October.
When The Everest was created as the world’s richest turf race two years ago it seemed the one race in Australia even less likely to be won by a Kiwi than the Golden Slipper.
It was the perfect horse race for Sydney, based on speed rather than stamina, hype with a healthy dose of ego and involving deals upon deals as slot holders sought out the best horses for racing’s dash for mega cash.
All of this is very un-New Zealand and with our Australian honour roll these days usually in races from 1600m to 2400m, a New Zealand gelding by Jimmy Choux even being
in the conversation for an Everest slot is bordering on laughable. But Kiwis conquering Everest has been done before and while Pike realises it is still a long shot, Bostonian could change all that in the Stradbroke on June 8.
The 4 year old added the A$700,000 Kingsford-Smith Cup at Eagle Farm on Saturday to the A$800,000 Doomben 10,000 he won two weeks earlier, justifying Pike’s decision to add it to his programme after initially suggesting he would go straight to the Stradbroke.
So Bostonian remains unbeaten in Queensland and has banked close to $900,000 in a fortnight with the Stradbroke still to come.
Saturday’s win was even more dominant than his 10,000 success but will come at a price as he could even be topweight for the Stradbroke when the weights are released today.
“He might get 58kgs but it also might not be the strongest Straddy ever and he has already won as much in the last fortnight as he would winning the Stradbroke,” says Pike.
“And he is thriving, as you can see. His work was so fantastic last Tuesday he almost forced us to start in this race.”
A New Zealand sprinter winning back to back Group 1s in Australia is unheard of and no horse has completed the treble Bostonian will try to round out in 12 days. But if he creates one piece of history, Pike is keen on another.
“Races like the 10,000 and the Stradbroke are the races Redzel was winning two years ago before he went on to win two Everests and plenty of people were mentioning that this weekend.
“We haven’t had any calls of interest yet but if they came I’d be suggesting to David (Archer, owner) we should go for it.
“The money is obviously incredible and and who knows what could happen, the track could come up wet like it did this season.
“It would be great to see a New Zealand horse in the race.”
Bostonian has already beaten one of this season’s Everest placegetters in Osborne Bulls in the 10,000 and there are still eight slots left in the 12-strong Everest on October 19, with Pierata, Classique Legend, Santa Ana Lane and Sunlight already in.
But Australia’s often-imposing sprint ranks don’t boast a Black Caviar at the moment and the more good young sprint stallions like Trapeze Artist, Russian Revolution and Merchant Navy head to early stud retirement the more the door opens for a battle-hardened gelding like Bostonian.
He can kick that door down should he complete his historic treble in the Stradbroke in two weeks.