By Michael Guerin
Five years is a long time to wait for redemption.
In racing entire careers start, blossom and end much quicker than that all the time.
But on Febuary 1, five years after he last raced and finished unplaced in the Great Southern Star, Kiwi speed machine Oscar Bonavena is heading back to Melton for a another shot at the title.
The title has of course changed. The Great Southern Star was 2760m mobile back on February 1, 2020 when Oscar Bonavena sat parked and finished a brave fourth to Tornado Valley.
He had arrived in Melbourne as trotting’s next big thing but his mind wasn’t as sharp as his sprint and Oscar wasn’t the first New Zealand horse to be caught out by the Australian hustle and bustle.
So much has happened since. Unsoundness, wildness years, changing stables, changing back, then a Trotter of the Year season in 2023.
Oscar looked to have maybe hit a wall again in the first half of 2024, a wall called Just Believe, but the real Oscar finally downed the little Aussie hero in the NZ Free-For-All on Show Day and has been brilliant since, albeit galloping early in this week’s National Trot before a huge recovery in third.
That was enough to convince trainers Mark and Nathan Purdon that Oscar should go back to Melton to try this back to the future Great Southern Star, two mobile sprint heats in one night like it used to be.
“He deserves another shot over there,” says Nathan Purdon.
“He has never been sounder and is racing so well even after that little gallop this week.
“So the plan will be to try and race here (Alex Park) again before he goes over but if he has to go over there for a lead-up race that will be okay too.
“The way he is racing these days sprinting seems to really suit him and I think the Great Southern Star format will be good for him.
“And obviously Just Believe isn’t going to be there.”
With defending champion Callmethebreeze also set to miss the GSS, Oscar Bonavena is at least as good as the locals but will still have to contend with new Interdom champion and natural speedster The Locomotive.
Oscar Bonavena will have some big-name company on the trip too with Don’t Stop Dreaming returning for the Hunter Cup, the race he pushed Leap To Fame so close in last year.
“He has had no luck but he has also had some hard racing and sometimes I think that has gotten to him.
“But he is a very good horse and these good horses have to race in these big races, that is where the money is.
“So he will follow the same racing and travels plans as Oscar but after the Hunter Cup we will look at taking him to Sydney.”
That will be the extent of the Purdon team in Australia as Chase A Dream is unlikely to head to either venue and the father and son team soon to start their yearling sales work.
“All stables need to replenish and we will be definitely doing that this year,” says Nathan.
“We have room for horses after a few retirements so we will be buying and are happy to speak to owners to want to get involved with some high end stock.
“There has never been a better time to be involved in the game with the huge job Entain are doing and the vibe in harness racing and we will be looking at yearlings soon and going after the ones we think can be big-race horses.
“So we will start taking expressions of interest for that this week and then formulate our plan.”