Trips away on the float for wins at country meetings has led to a stakes race victory for Bons Away at Caulfield.
Bons Away upstaged The Everest bound Brave Smash in Saturday’s Listed Testa Rossa Stakes.
Providing Linda Meech with the second leg of a double, Bons Away ($11) defeated the $1.65 favourite Brave Smash by a head with Fast ‘N’ Rocking ($51) two lengths away third.
The Ciaron Maher-trained four-year-old landed his fifth win from nine starts on Saturday.
He had recorded consecutive victories at Sale, Mildura and Seymour and managing part-owner Ken King, who bred the gelding, said the road trips were all about for Bons Away’s maturity.
“He had a few issues as a two and three-year-old and he missed a fair bit of racing at that stage,” King said.
“Ciaron just wanted to build his confidence and get him through the grades.
“The choice was today or Benalla next week and I said to Ciaron three times in the bush is enough, let’s have a throw at the stumps.”
Brave Smash’s trainer Darren Weir said the winner was too strong.
The Japanese-bred sprinter holds the ATC slot to run in The Everest at Randwick on October 14.
“I’ll have to have a meeting with the owners and see what they want to do, but the important thing is that the horse is alright in the morning,” Weir said.
“If anything he looked to shorten up in his stride in the last 100 yards when the race was there to be won, but that’s looking for an excuse.”
Damian Lane, who rode Brave Smash, said the five-year-old got into some trouble on the hometurn which probably cost him winning.
“I still he thought he was going to win anyway, but the winner was too good,” he said.
