A rare Saturday meeting at Sandown will give the Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr stable the chance to unveil one of their latest European imports.
Boniface, a €250,000 purchase from last year’s Summer Sale at Arqana in France, makes his Australian debut in a benchmark 84 contest over 1600m at Sandown on Saturday.
A French-bred four-year-old, Boniface won his first two starts at Le Lion D’Angers and La Teste De Buch as a two-year-old, returning as a three-year-old for three more starts, winning his final outing at Saint-Cloud before being purchased just days later.
“He looks a progressive horse, and we bought him out of some nice handicap victories in France,” Kent Jnr said.
“He got here as a colt and we gave him one preparation as a colt, but his temperament was getting the better of him, so we gelded him and brought him back and this preparation he’s been much more tractable and easy-going.”
Boniface had two jump-outs at Cranbourne in December before the decision was made to geld him and has had two jump-outs and a trial since to prepare him for Saturday’s return.
At his most recent outing, Boniface finished third at Cranbourne over 1200m on May 4, while Kent Jnr said the trip and racing at Sandown appealed to kick off the Australian career of Boniface.
“He looks like he’s going to want to stay, but he’s not slow and I thought his last trial was good,” Kent Jnr said.
“He relaxed nicely. He had been a little keen at times in trackwork, so it was important he relaxed well and as a result he finished the trial off nicely.
“At the mile on Saturday at his first Australian start, we just want to see him balance up and finish off. He’s by no means screwed down.
“He seems an athletic, high-energy horse that we think will get further than the mile but it’s a nice kick off point for him.
“Sandown is a lovely track to take your horse.
“It’s a nice, big, galloping track, he should enjoy that and the ground should just be nice – toe in but it shouldn’t be too wet and shouldn’t be too firm.”
