One Bold Cat took his promising career to a new level in Saturday’s Gr.3 Counties Cup (2100m) at Pukekohe, delivering a third feature prize of the month for Robbie Patterson.
The in-form New Plymouth trainer had previously saddled One Bold Cat to win the $80,000 Feilding Gold Cup (2100m) at Trentham on November 4, followed by an all-the-way triumph with Puntura in the $250,000 Gr.3 Coupland’s Bakeries Mile (1600m) at Riccarton on November 15.
One Bold Cat arrived at Pukekohe on Saturday as the winner of six of his 11 career starts, but the $170,000 feature was the first time his talents had been tested against quality stayers such as Group winners Aquacade, Aromatic and Dionysus.
But the five-year-old rose to the occasion, swooping from the back of the field in the hands of jockey Matt Cameron and bursting into contention at the 300m mark.
Aromatic matched him every step of the way, and it developed into a desperate two-horse tussle to the finish. But One Bold Cat responded to everything Aromatic threw at him and kept lifting, edging ahead to win by half a length. Aromatic finished two lengths in front of the third-placed Dionysus, with topweight Aquacade another three lengths away in third.
Racing in the colours of co-breeder and part-owner Eddie Bourke, One Bold Cat has now won seven of his 12 starts and $212,785 in prize-money.
“Eddie puts a lot into the business and is a huge supporter of mine, so this is just awesome,” Patterson said. “It’s been a big month, winning the Feilding Cup, the Coupland’s and now the Counties Cup.
“I’m so proud of this horse. I’ve had him ever since he was born, so this is huge. He came from last and ran past some good horses today, and he doesn’t even really know what he’s doing yet. He’s a serious horse.
“This will definitely boost his confidence. He’s never really been in a dogfight like that before. It was good to see him really flatten out and keep trying hard, and that’s what good horses do. He’s obviously a good horse.”
It was an enormously satisfying result for Bourke, who not only bred and races One Bold Cat but also owns a significant share in the gelding’s under-rated sire The Bold One.
“It’s a real thrill for me,” Bourke said. “It’s great to come up here and have a go with the big boys, as Robbie calls them. We think this horse is pretty smart, and I hope he’s shown a few people today what The Bold One’s progeny can do.
“Robbie’s a phenomenal guy. He’s a really good trainer, takes great care of his horses, and the best part about him is you enjoy his company and he’s always positive. He can turn a bad day into a good day. This is a good day.
“We’ve got another pretty smart The Bold One in Robbie’s stable, Mary Louise, so it’s pretty exciting.”
Adding to the Taranaki flavour of Saturday’s result is Cameron, who served his apprenticeship under fellow New Plymouth trainer Allan Sharrock.
“It’s a great Taranaki result, and I’m happy to get the job done today for Robbie and the owner,” Cameron said. “Gryllsy (Craig Grylls) usually rides this horse and has a good bond with him, but with him suspended, I was lucky enough to pick up the ride today. The horse changed legs in the straight and found another gear, he was pretty impressive.”