Bosson: Speed freak mare can go longer as she matures
Superstar jockey Opie Bosson wishes New Zealand’s fastest horse was in a longer race than today’s A$700,000 Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm.
Which may sound an odd wish considering Entriviere has never won past today’s 1300m distance but Bosson says the speed freak mare is changing as she matures.
Bosson will try to plot a winning path from barrier 13 in the Group 1 which is set to be run on the first good4 track of the rain-soaked Queensland carnival.
After a mammoth third when coming from last over 1200m in the Doomben 10,000 last start, Entriviere could start favourite today and Bosson hopes for a cart into the race, probably three wide following the right horse.
“I don’t want to get as far back as last start,” says Bosson. “I kind of wish the race was longer. She now feels like she is ready for 1400m, and next season, I think she will even get
1600m. She has changed so much.” While Entriviere has always looked likely to excel at 1400m, her four attempts at that distance have yet to yield a win, so maybe a hard-run
1300m today on the big Eagle Farm track will be her sweet spot.
After the Doomben meeting was abandoned because of the heavy track last Saturday, it seems almost impossible to believe the track will be rated a good4 today but it was back to a soft5 last night and fellow Kiwi jockey Leith Innes says an even better track is almost guaranteed.
“The track will get back to the conditions horses like Pinarello [Innes’ Derby ride today] and Entriviere need but the problem for them is the inside 7m is new ground with the rail back in the true and I can see that being the place to be at least early,” says Innes.
If Innes is right about the inside of the track providing the best footing today, Dark Destroyer is the leading Kiwi hope for the day from the ace draw in the A$1 million Queensland Derby.
But depending on how the track plays, you can make win cases for Pinarello, Entriviere and legitimate place claims for The Chosen One, Coventina Bay and Soprano Supreme in their races today.
While so much of the interest from New Zealand punters will be on the huge Eagle Farm card, there is a challenging card at Pukekohe earlier in the day with a Listed 2-year-old race that looks ideal for the handy filly Contagious (R5, No 4).