On the weekend of March 27/28, the racing world was given two examples which emphasised that it doesn’t matter what your status is in the game, nobody is immune from deep disappointment.
On that Saturday at Meydan in Dubai, a horse called Great Scot dropped Frankie Dettori as the field for the Dubai World Cup moved out onto the track. Great Scot galloped away, running free and, although he was eventually corralled, with Dettori’s slip from the saddle, all chance of picking up a most prestigious and highly lucrative payday in the $12 million race was gone as Great Scot was withdrawn from the contest.
Moments don’t come more deflating and disappointing than that.
On that Sunday, the news broke that Glen Boss had been dumped from the ride of Bivouac for the Group 1, T J Smith Stakes, being replaced by Hugh Bowman.
Boss had recorded two Group 1 wins on Bivouac … the Newmarket and the VRC Classic. He had ridden the Godolphin runner on five occasions, including the four-year-olds last four starts prior to the riding change announcement.
Bowman, to be fair, has ridden Bivouac eight times, including to a Group 1 win in the Vain Stakes, so it wasn’t as if he was never in the picture … but, nevertheless, it was a surprise turnaround.
Boss shrugged off Godolphin’s decision telling Racenet, “This is the game we’re in. You’ve got to roll with the punches and I wish them all the best.”
That was the professional response.
Boss did add, “You’ve either got to keep winning on them or have people that are a bit more understanding and I didn’t have either,” so clearly there was understandable disappointment in there.
The truth about all top tier riders though, is that you can’t keep a good rider down … and Boss is no exception.
At the very next Saturday meeting in Sydney after being dumped, the three-time Melbourne Cup winner celebrated his ninetieth Group 1 victory with an emphatic win on Sir Dragonet in Tancred Stakes.
Boss has ridden the Cairon Maher and David Eustace star import in all but one of his five Australian career starts with the horse and rider partnership having kicked off in spectacular fashion with their 2020, Group 1 Cox Plate victory.
One of the reasons you can’t keep a good rider down is that they don’t look back and don’t let what is behind them dent their confidence. In simple terms, they get on with it … as Boss did.
Now Boss has got another Group 1 in his sights on Doncaster Mile day at Randwick this Saturday.
Boss will partner Think It Over for Kerry Parker in the Doncaster Mile itself … a runner which he partnered to a Group 1 victory in its last start in the George Ryder and Parker wouldn’t want anyone else on his runner.
“We knew this bloke had the talent, but Glen has made him into a racehorse,” Parker told the Sydney Morning Herald. “His feedback is unbelievable and makes my job easier. He has confidence in the horse and his rides have been perfect and it probably the reason he won the Ryder.
“You don’t get a Glen Boss too often and I’m glad he is on our team.”
Boss, who returned to Australia from a riding stint in Singapore in 2019, continues to lament the lack of a wider range of opportunity since his return in spite of the very strong haul of Group 1’s he has reeled in over the these past months … a view seemingly borne out by his book of rides on Saturday.
The Inglis Sires, the Australian Derby and the TJ Smith are the other Group 1 races at Randwick on Saturday where Boss will only be an observer, not having been able to claim a riding engagement in any of these three Group 1’s.
In terms of demand, by way of contrast, five jockeys … Tommy Berry, Hugh Bowman, James McDonald, Kerron McEvoy and Jamie Kah… have rides in all four Group 1’s on the Randwick card.
The chase for top rides from a high quality field of jockeys is just that competitive but Boss remains resolute in his own self-belief.
“There’s people out there that doubt I can’t do this still. They obviously think I can’t do it anymore, but I just keep doing it, I keep turning up and doing the job. If you give me a chance in a good race, that’s the result,” Boss was reported to have stated after his win on Sir Dragonet.
Will Boss bite back again on Saturday … and have the last word, as he has so often done before?
Whether you are in his camp or not, chances are you will find few prepared to bet against Boss doing just that and taking his personal Group 1 total one step closer to that magical one hundred Group 1’s mark in what is sure to be another exhilarating day of racing.
