Victorian cult hero Bonavista Bay has gate one in the Golden Nugget from Gloucester Park on Friday night
Bonavista Bay, the most exciting young pacer Victoria has produced in recent memory will line-up in tomorrow night’s time honoured XXXX Gold Golden Nugget Championship off the back of a career worst performance and in a scenario considered unthinkable just a fortnight ago – not favourite.
After a typically tough and impressive performance in winning the prelude to tomorrow night’s four-year-old feature a fortnight ago, Emma Stewart’s hulking son of Rustler Hanover appeared cherry type to fulfill his trip’s objective by winning the Golden Nugget.
But a bizarre flop in the Ross North Homes four-year-old championship, following multiple veterinary checks on a near-side hoof last start, has cast doubts over Bonavista Bay’s fitness and form as he approaches the Group One feature.
However the man who has driven Bonavista Bay in each of his last 11 starts – netting eight wins and two herculean second placings – Chris Alford, is unconcerned.
“Emma and Clayton assure me the horse was dehydrated and still feeling his feet” Alford said of Bonavista Bay’s uncharacteristic last start failure.
“If he’s back to his best, and I expect he will be, there won’t need to be much improvement in him from his prelude run to give this (the Golden Nugget) a real shake.
“If I’d never driven the horse before last week, I wouldn’t have thought he was much chop, but I know him and he’s got the potential to be up there with the very best I’ve driven... he had a hiccup and that’s all.”
Assuming Bonavista Bay is back to his devastating best there appears only one obstacle between him and success – a pole marking barrier draw which could see the normally tough and relentless pacer hemmed away along the peg-line and forced into the unfamiliar role of sit-sprinter.
Again though, Alford is unfazed. As he sees it, there are only two likely scenarios and they both represent an ideal run in transit.
“I’ll be booting up with him early and he’ll either lead - or if Ima Rocket Star is able to cross him early – he’ll be getting a cosy run back on the fence,” Alford enthused.
“Either way I’m getting a good run.”
When quizzed about whether Bonavista Bay would be suited by potentially having to produce a sharp late sprint to overhaul his rivals down the short Gloucester Park straight, Alford employed a wonderful too – common sense to put forward his case.
“He (Bonavista Bay) can sprint home in sub-27-seconds (for his final 400-metres), he’s done it more than once before, so it doesn’t concern me if that’s how the race pans out,” the champion driver declared, “If he’s right, he’ll be good enough.”
Along with Ima Rocket Star – last week’s Group 2 winner – Bonavista Bay will also have to contend with outstanding New South Wales four-year-old Captain Joy, who was huge last start at his first run in the west and top Kiwi campaigner Stunnin Cullen.
The XXXX Gold Golden Nugget Championship will be the seventh race on the program from Gloucester Park this Friday night and the mobile will release runners at 11.50pm EST.
