FINDING another Ride High is something Emma Stewart and Clayton Tonkin may never do, but they look to have a potential superstar in Honolua Bay.
It was fitting in the week we learned Ride High had almost certainly run his last race that Honolua Bay was so exciting winning his first run for Stewart and Tonkin.
Honolua Bay’s win in the $75,000 Group 2 4&5YO Championship at Melton last Saturday night was something to behold.
We’ve always known the four-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere had loads of speed and potential, but to blow away such a strong field first-up and do it so easily was breathtaking.
Despite running his second quarter of the last mile in 27.6sec, Honolua Bay cruised through a 27.3sec third split and still looked full of running down the straight in a 27.6sec closer.
Honolua Bay oozed potential with nine wins from just 16 starts for David Aiken before owners Bill; and Anne Anderson opted for a stable change after he finished last campaign with two unplaced runs.
More than six weeks ago, Tonkin went out of his way to say how excited he was with Honolua Bay’s progress in the stable.
The win continued a stunning streak for the Andersons and their Lauriston Bloodstock with young stars like Ladies In Red, Beach Music and Irish Black Label all winning recent features.
WE all know the term champion is used a little too freely at times.
But Amazing Dream is a genuine champion.
The mighty former Kiwi mare posted her 10th Group 1 win when she led throughout and dominated the $100,000 Queen of the Pacific at Melton last Saturday night.
Remarkably, four of those have been against the boys in elite Group 1 races: Auckland Cup, Great Northern Derby, Blacks A Fake and The Rising Sun.
And what a poster girl she’s been for young former Kiwi horseman Nathan Purdon, since he made Victoria home earlier this year.
Purdon had a night out, with his other star mare Spellbound rocketing home late to give him the quinella in the Queen of the Pacific.
We know Amazing Dream is out of the Inter Dominion, but, pleasingly, she’s set to stay Down Under for a tilt at the Hunter Cup.
Purdon has a Breeders Crown 4YO Mares’ series and some other nice options to take in before her US-based owners take her to the States to continue her racing career.
YOU have to feel for Victorian trainer Mick Stanley.
His young star Bar Room Banta has won the NSW Breeders Challenge 2YO and 3YO finals and Covid-19 has prevented him from being trackside for either of them.
Bar Room Banta defended his crown in the 3YO final in stunning fashion after sitting parked for much of the final at Menangle last Saturday night.
“I got the OK to go from the Victorian stewards, but the NSW rules didn’t allow me to go ,” Stanley said.
“It’s been frustrating for sure, but at least he raced in my name this time and it feels like more of a win for me as the trainer because I sent him up to Luke and Belinda a week before the semi-finals this year.”
The other star of the NSW Breeders Challenge finals was Anntonia, who scorched 1min49.8sec to win her final.
Let’s hope she heads south in coming weeks to add more depth to the already stunning Breeders Crown three-year-old division, headed by Ladies In Red, Bettor Twist and Beach Music.
The opinions expressed in The Forum are those of the author and may not be attributed to or represent policies of Harness Racing Victoria, which is the state authority and owner of thetrots.com.au.