In the long run the ultimate push to the highest of millionaire’s mountain was a simple one.
It was in all probability all the time going to be for Oscar Bonavena (Majestic Son), who had panels on his rivals within the IRT Cambridge Flying Stakes Trot at Cambridge on Thursday night time.
The nine-year-old was in a position to pull again to second final and after transferring mid-race ended up within the one-one. From there the query was how large the margin could be.
The reply: five-and-a-quarter lengths as he raced into the millionaire’s membership with out breaking a sweat.
OSCAR BONAVENA REPLAY
It was win 30 from begin 76 for $1,018,558 in stakes, edging him into that the majority elite of trotting golf equipment.
However whereas the ultimate step was straightforward the climb up that mountain was something however.
It began so properly. Oscar was an immediate hit for first coach Phil Williamson, earlier than being bought by US-based Kiwi coach Chris Ryder and Mark Purdon.
He even raced within the part-ownership of the late, nice Roy Purdon for some time as Mark stored his legendary father concerned within the business.
Oscar was wonderful in a brief three-year-old profession and sumptuous for a lot of his four-year-old profession earlier than a luckless Australian marketing campaign after which quickly after the niggles began.
As they are saying, the sooner you go the larger the mess. And Oscar’s little legs went awfully quick.
As points got here and went it affected Oscar’s manners to the stage as a six-year-old he received solely one in all his 13 begins. Her appeared set to turn out to be a cautionary story of what occurs to good horses who can’t keep sound and joyful.
However two years in the past issues modified and the little horse who couldn’t grew to become the little horse who may.
Oscar went on a rampage within the second half of that season, successful the Dominion Trot on his technique to changing into Trotter of the Yr.
Final 12 months was trickier, with Simply Consider coming from Australia to dominate our main trots however it’s a measure of what a fantastic little horse he’s that Oscar got here from behind the Victorian to beat him within the NZ Free-For-All on Present Day.
Oscar continues to be Oscar although. Such imperious kind nonetheless combined with a gallop within the rating up of the Nationwide Trot on New Yr’s Eve earlier than he made his technique to that mountain prime on Thursday night time.
Subsequent cease will probably be Australia and a chance to show the clock again 5 years to when he was the subsequent child on the block.
He’s now not new, no child. He’s our newest trotting milllionaire.
A horse who did it the laborious means. A sprinting machine who has to show warrior to get off the canvas greater than as soon as.
Oscar has turned out to be the horse all of us hoped he could be.
It simply took him longer to get there than we anticipated.
Oscar Bonavena is the twelfth Australasian-bred trotting millionaire.
He joins :
Lyell Creek with $2,961,137.Sundon’s Present ($1,460,561)I Can Doosit ($1,445,774)Sundees Son ($1,401,248)Rushing Spur ($1,304,992)Take A Second ($1,164,356)Stent ($1,156,750)One Over Kenny ($1,098,007)Keystone Del ($1,088,449)Twister Valley ($1,031,977)Vulcan ($1,025,892)Oscar Bonavena ($1,018,558
by Michael Guerin, for Harness Racing New Zealand
