Local filly Bonny the Viper provided Central Queensland graziers Phil and Palma Hughes with their biggest win when she scored a runaway victory in yesterday’s $135,000 Capricornia Sales Classic (1200m) at Rockhampton.
Sent to the front from an awkward draw by talented apprentice Cassie Priest, Bonny the Viper controlled the race and she emphatically secured her fourth straight win.
At the post Bonny the Viper ($2.80-$3) held a three and a half length margin over the Brisbane trained favourite Sweet Reward ($2-$2.10 fav).
Bundaberg youngster Private Chat ($9-$21), who like the runner-up is a youngster by Private Agenda, was another half neck back in third place.
Bonny the Viper, a daughter of Garrison Savannah, is trained by Garnett Taylor for local owner and breeder Phil Hughes.
“I’ve been nervous all week,” a delighted Garnett Taylor told The Morning Bulletin.
“I really thought she could win, as she had improved since her win in Rocky a few weeks back.”
“It’s a great feeling.”
Taylor said he had planned to engage his daughter Alisha for the ride after she recently recovered from injury – but she refused the ride, saying Bonny the Viper’s now regular rider Cassie Priest deserved the mount.
“Alisha said – No Dad. Cassie has ridden Bonny twice for two wins and knows her so well and it would not be fair to take her off.”
“Alisha broke her ankle and Cassie volunteered to ride my horses and arranged for other work riders to do the same.”
“Cassie was fabulous to me when I took Bonny and 25 horses to Caloundra for two months after the January flood.”
“I owed her and really I’m so pleased for her sake,” Taylor added.
From six starts, of which four have been successful, Bonny the Viper has earned connections over $114,000.
She is the first named foal for the Fasliyev mare Vonny the Viper – a half-sister to the six time winner and Group Two placed King Durham (now known as Grateful Master in Macau).
Bonny the Viper’s sire Garrison Savannah has two yearlings (Lot 19 and 21) catalogued for this afternoon’s Magic Millions Capricornia Yearling Sale at the Rockhampton Showground.
The sale, with 101 catalogued lots, commences at 2pm (Qld time).
Meanwhile, classy Sunshine Coast based gelding River Lad added another win to his impressive record when he won the Capricornia Sales 3YO Championship (1300m), for owners Ray and Rosemary Anderson.
Prepared by Natalie McCall, River Lad found just enough under Jason Kropp to edge out the roughie Savannah Dawn by a head.
Sent out at $1.40, River Lad did a big job considering he carried nine kilograms more than the locally trained runner-up.
River Lad won last year’s Capricornia Yearling Sales Classic as a two-year-old and last start was beaten just 1.4 lengths in listed grade behind Steel Zip at Doomben.
A son of Top Echelon, River Lad is the sole winner to date for his dam, a Canny Lad half-sister to former group performer Irgunette.
Both feature races yesterday were run for graduates of the Capricornia Yearling Sale and were a great advertisement for the quality and value of lots offered at the Rockhampton based auction.
