By Michael Lynch and Chris Roots
Well-backed New Zealand raider Bonneval staked her claim as a leading Caulfield Cup chance with a swooping victory in a sensational Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes, which saw the $4.40 favourite Star Exhibit throw off jockey Mark Zahra as the stalls opened at Moonee Valley on Saturday.
Kiwi trainer Murray Baker is no stranger to success on this side of the Tasman, and Bonneval, a $5 chance at the Valley, had shown her class with wins last season in both the New Zealand Oaks and the ATC Oaks at Randwick.
Caulfield Cup chance: Hugh Bowman salutes with Bonneval in the Australian Oak.Credit: bradleyphotos.com.au
She made a late run under Damian Lane to win the 1600 metre Dato from another mare, Abbey Marie, with Rhythm To Spare third.
The latter had been prominent throughout and stuck to his task well, especially since he had been given little peace by the loose horse, Star Exhibit, who carried on riderless having reared up in the barriers and dumped Zahra as the gates opened.
Pleased: Hugh Bowman will now look forward to even bigger races.Credit: bradleyphotos.com.au
"She's a good filly, very honest, she has a bit of that Zabeel on her," Baker said. "She's probably fitter than I thought she was – it's been the wettest winter in New Zealand for years. She's targeting the Caulfield Cup."
Mick Kent, trainer of Abbey Marie, said: "It was a bit of a D-day for her. She will improve once she gets up to 2000 metres. We would like to get her into the Caulfield Cup."
Setting the standard
Gai Waterhouse might have to find a new jockey for Stan Fox Stakes winner Gold Standard but there is no doubting her enthusiasm for the horse in the Golden Rose.
Josh Parr was in the saddle as Gold Standard delivered on his potential, but he will be riding Menari in a fortnight.
"It will be easy to find one [a jockey] because he is a very, very good horse," Waterhouse said. "He could become a Cox Plate horse next year. You saw the gears he had and he has only just learnt how to use them. He will get better and be in the Golden Rose."
Change of manners
A decision to be teach Ravi to be more positive out of the gates paid immediate results as she produced a winning burst in the Sheraco Stakes at Rosehill on Saturday. Peter and Paul Snowden were frustrated by near misses with Ravi and set about changing her racing manners.
"I thought she had the ability to win a race like this but her form last time in was tapering off, mainly because she was just getting too far back in her races," Peter Snowden said. "We committed to changing that around this time in and it seems to have worked."
McEvoy charged away to a two-length win on Ravi and believes she could be in for a big spring. "She's racing much more tractably now. She had a good run there and has shown a superior turn of foot," McEvoy said.
Higher ambitions
Sydney trainer Paul Snowden said the next target for Russian Revolution will be the Moir Stakes on AFL grand final Eve but the ultimate goal is the $10 million Everest. Russian Revolution scored by 1-1/4 lengths in the McEwen Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday in which another Everest aspirant, the three-year-old Houtzen, was a beaten favourite in third place.
"We hope he gets an invite for the Everest. We are still yet to sew up a slot, a la Redzel [a Sydney winner] last week," Paul Snowden said. "We are making an attempt to show both horses have come back in good order and deserve to be there. The writing is on the wall with these ones, it's up to them to get the job done now. We targeted this race on purpose."
Toby Edmonds, trainer of Houtzen, said his filly would now run against her own age and sex in a three-year-old race at the Valley on Moir Stakes night before being aimed at The Everest.
With Michael Lynch
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