Bonavista Bay and Chris Alford cruise to MHRC Cup victory
Chris Alford enhanced his amazing record in the MHRC Junction Tabaret Cup when he teamed with Bonavista Bay to score a devastating win in the 2008 edition at Moonee Valley on Saturday night.
The champion reinsman notched his fifth win in the three-year-old feature when the Emma Stewart-trained colt stamped himself as a leading contender for the Victoria Derby with a seventh straight win.
After claiming his first MHRC Cup aboard Golden Reign in 1993, Alford had to wait eight years before his next success, with Tromos, but quickly followed up with wins aboard Lombo La Fe Fe (2003) and Zabrinski (2004).
As happy as he was with another MHRC Cup win, Alford, who has driven Bonavista Bay to his past two wins after regular reinsman Gavin Lang fell ill, has his eyes on an even bigger prize with the son of Rustler Hanover.
“He’s Gavin’s drive, but he’s got a few nice three-year-olds to choose from and I certainly wouldn’t mind staying with him (in the Derby) if I got the chance," he said.
The most exciting part of the win from Alford’s perspective was the way Bonavista Bay’s put paid to easily the hardest field he has met.
He stretched his record to seven wins from nine starts with a breathtaking win over a field including Breeders Crown runner-up Garnet River and classy pair Franco Newsman and Ultimate Under Fire.
After being restrained from his back-row draw, Alford brought Bonavista Bay with a searching run around the field in a 30.9-second first quarter and it wasn’t until the 1400m mark that he found the spot outside Garnet River, who led unchallenged.
From there Alford set about testing the $2.20 favourite, who was first up since the Breeders Crown. After cruising through the second quarter in 32.9, they scooted through the third split in 27.9.
That broke Garnet River, who was beaten at the 250m, but Bonavista Bay ($2.90) still had to hold off a challenge from Franco Newsman ($7.30), who enjoyed a lovely trip in the one-out-one-back for the last lap and a half.
He did that with ease, pulling away from that colt in a 30.2-second final quarter for a stunning 20-metre win in 2:01.9. Third, a further 14 metres back, was Cool And Casual ($64).
“I was surprised when I had a look at the board in the straight and saw how quick we were going because he was doing it under his own steam,” Alford said.
“Clayton (Tonkin, Stewart’s partner) said he works with the really good ones at home and he sure is the real deal.”
