New Plymouth trainer Robbie Patterson is looking forward to raising the bar even higher with his exciting five-year-old One Bold Cat, who took his career to a new level in Saturday’s $80,000 Mode Technology Feilding Gold Cup (2100m) at Trentham.
The son of The Bold One went into Saturday’s staying feature as the winner of five of his 10 career starts. He had won races over 1360m, 1400m, 1800m, 1900m and 1400m, and he was a strong-finishing fourth in last month’s Gr.3 Thompson Handicap (1600m) in his previous appearance.
Saturday marked One Bold Cat’s first time stepping up to 2100m, and he passed that stamina test with flying colours.
Awkwardly drawn in gate eight, the favourite was caught three wide around the first turn, and he stayed there all the way down the back straight in a bunched midfield pack.
The in-form Semper Magico slid forward to take the lead down the back of the straight, and he threw down the gauntlet to his rivals and increased his margin coming up to the home turn.
Semper Magico kicked again in the straight and was going to take plenty of catching, but jockey Craig Grylls brought One Bold Cat to the outside and let him rip. He lengthened stride powerfully and bounded home over the top of Semper Magico, clearing out to win by a length and three quarters.
Semper Magico held second by a length and a quarter from Cross Roads, with potential Gr.3 New Zealand Cup (3200m) contender Waisake producing an eye-catching finish from last to be a close fourth.
One Bold Cat’s 11-start career has now produced six wins, two thirds and $115,035 in stakes.
“I was feeling a bit ill during the race,” Patterson admitted. “He was three wide and doing all the work. I have to take my hat off to the horse. He’s a good horse. Horses don’t normally do that and still kick the way he did.
“This is massive for Eddie Bourke (co-breeder and part-owner). He puts a lot of money into this business and really deserves the success. I’m really, really happy.”
Patterson’s next target for One Bold Cat is the $150,000 Gr.3 Franklin Auctions Counties Cup (2100m) at Pukekohe on November 25.
“I’ll give him a few quiet days after this, then work towards the Group Three at Pukekohe in three weeks’ time,” Patterson said.
“In all his races, his last sectionals are always some of the quickest of the whole day, so that tells me that he will get right up to the elite level – maybe even at weight-for-age in time. I’d be really excited to be taking him forward to races like the Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes (Gr.1, 2000m) later on.
“But he’s still pretty raw at the moment. We’ll look to get another good handicap win out of him somewhere along the line and take it from there. He’s just a lovely horse.”
One Bold Cat headlined a successful day for Patterson, who also saddled Tanzanite Rose to win the $40,000 Manawatu ITM 1200 earlier on the Trentham card. That five-year-old daughter of Burgundy has now had 13 starts for four wins, two placings and just over $65,000 in stakes.