Bosson and Lynds prove a potent combination

BY AIDEN RODLEY

Opie Bosson is flavour of the month for Palmerston North trainer Jeff Lynds.

And why not? The former Matamata jockey took both his and Lynds' Gr I tallies for the season to four when he guided Vosne Romanee to success in Saturday's $200,000 SkyCity New Zealand Stakes (2000m) at Ellerslie.

For Bosson, Vosne Romanee's win add to his previous Gr I victories this season in the 2000 and 1000 Guineas at Riccarton aboard Katie Lee and the Captain Cook Stakes on Ekstreme.

Lynds celebrate his fourth elite level success after Vosne Romanee's earlier wins in the Kelt Capital Stakes at Hastings and Zabeel Classic at Ellerslie, as well as Wall Street's win in the Thorndon Mile at Trentham.

Bosson and Lynds will again combine at Trentham on Saturday with Wall Street contesting the Gr III $70,000 Thompson Handicap (1600m).

Saturday's race will be Bosson's first on Wall Street, one of the stars of the season so far for regular rider Buddy Lammas through wins in the Thorndon and the $250,000 Coupland's Bakeries Mile at Riccarton.

Bosson said he was thrilled to get the Wall Street ride.

"I feel a bit for Buddy but Jeff offered me the ride and I wasn't about to turn it down," he said.

Bosson, 29, will also team up with Vosne Romanee in the Gr II $85,000 Awapuni Gold Cup (2000m) on April 3 and the Gr I A$350,000 Queen Elizabeth Stakes (2000m) at Randwick on April 24.

Bosson rode Vosne Romanee for the first time when the Electronic Zone seven-year-old got home strongly for fourth in the Gr I Otaki Weight-For-Age Classic over 1600m last month.

On Saturday, Bosson settled Vosne Romanee four back on the fence, tracked favourite Red Ruler into the race and got him into clear running to unleash his now familiar home straight winning burst.

Harris Tweed stuck on gamely after settling handy for jockey Troy Harris to only go down a length with Tell A Tale and Red Ruler the next two home a long head and a nose further back. Warhorse Sir Slick was fifth.

"He's a lovely horse. After his last race at Otaki, we knew he was going to be hard to beat. I was pretty confident going into today," Bosson said of Vosne Romanee.

"I had a beautiful run the whole way. Turning for home I knew I had a lot of horse under me and he's really let down well. He's a pleasure to ride.

"He doesn't look pretty, but when you ask him to let down, he just goes bang."

Lynds was delighted with Bosson's handling of Vosne Romanee and said the horse had strong claims for horse of the year honours after his third Gr I weight-for-age victory.

"That's three Gr I wins - he's got to be right in contention," said Lynds, who prepared Armstrong to win the same race in 2002.

"Not many horses can run their last 600m in 33 seconds. But that's just the sort of horse he is. He's got a great turn of foot. What a great trooper. After that I'd have to say he's the best horse I've trained. I'm thrilled.

"We call him `Pop-gun' because he's a terribly conformed horse but he's done us proud. It's been a long time coming for me and I feel quite humbled training a horse like this."

Wairarapa owners Ian and Alana Smart were overjoyed.

"It's unbelievable. Three Gr I wins - it's just hard to comprehend," Ian Smart said.

"This is all down to Jeff. He said after we won here on Boxing Day that we'd come back and win this race. He's an unbelievable trainer and this has been an amazing experience.

"Opie Bosson was the key to this. We've got Jeff training for us and Opie riding, and when you've got the best, you get the best results."

Co-trainer Bjorn Baker was rapt with Harris Tweed's effort for second and suggested the four-year-old could miss the Gr I Ranvet Stakes at Randwick on March 20 and go straight into the Gr I A$2.25 million The BMW (2400m) at Randwick on April 3 without another run.

Matamata trainer Mark Walker said Tell A Tale would have a week in the paddock before returning to prepare for the Gr I $200,000 Easter Handicap (1600m) at Ellerslie on April 17.

Matamata trainer John Sargent said Red Ruler had "a good blow" after the race but he had come through the race well and he would head to the Awapuni Gold Cup before he flies out for the NZ$2.57 million Queen Elizabeth II Cup (2000m) at Sha Tin in Hong Kong on April 25 and the NZ$3.1 million Singapore Cup (2000m) at Kranji on May 16.

Te Aroha trainer Graeme Nicholson said Sir Slick was just about back at his peak and he would go to Saturday's Thompson Handicap at Trentham before tackling the Gr II $100,000 Japan-New Zealand International Trophy at Tauranga on March 27 and the Awapuni Gold Cup a week later.

- © Fairfax NZ News