Spring Melbourne campaign planned

Press, 12 July 1988, Page 37

Spring Melbourne campaign planned

A Melbourne campaign is on the cards for the top galloper, Bourbon Boy, this spring.

Trainer Howie Matthews said after the gelding returned another top effort at Trentham on Saturday that he was looking at Melbourne for the weight-for-age opportunities.

Bourbon Boy has been consistently top weight in his races in New Zealand over the last few months, with few weight-for-age opportunities available to him.

The Brazen Bay gelding again carried top weight in Saturday’s listed Whyte Handicap (1600 m though his 56kg seemed a realistic weight for one of his class. But both Matthews and rider, Alwyn Tweedie, felt the 6kg difference between him and winner Rongonui was decisive.

“He’s the bravest horse I have ever ridden,” Tweedie said after ‘ the

race. Tweedie said the horse was not entirely happy in the heavy ground and changed stride in the straight. But he kept battling all the way to the line.

It was yet another frustrating placing for the horse which has been beaten by the narrowest of margins in half a dozen races this year.

Matthews now intends stepping Bourbon Boy up to a middle distance in the $20,000 Te Awamutu Cup (2000 m at the Waipa meeting on July 23. He ran second in the race last year.

It is then intended to freshen the horse for spring racing which could see him resume at Wanganui in September before heading for Melbourne.

There are many weight-for-age opportunities for Bourbon Boy in Melbourne, including the rich Cox Plate in October.