Boundless Wins In NZ On Cup Day
- Tuesday, 03 November 2009 13:15
The five-year-old mare had required surgery to remove bone chips in a fetlock after finishing fifteenth in the Melbourne Cup last year and more recently reported back problems could also have stemmed from the same race according to part-owner Trevor McKee.
"She has taken a lot of work to get her right and there have been a number of people look her over, but hopefully she can go on now," said McKee.
"We'll go on to the Counties Cup now and take it from there."
For owners Paul Dallimore, Trevor McKee ONZM, Neil Miller & Mrs Cherry Taylor it had been a frustrating twelve months with a mare that as a filly in her three-year-old year took all before her when winning the New Zealand Oaks, then cleared away from rivals for a very impressive win at Ellerslie, before being narrowly beaten by Heavenly Glow in the AJC Oaks at Randwick.
Boundless had recorded one the most tenacious victories of the modern era when winning the 2008 NZ Oaks at Trentham.
On that occasion, she had her head in front on the outside of the leader for a majority of the mile and a half journey and kept lifting under the urgings of rider Hayden Tinsley to win by a short neck, paying forty-three dollars to win in the process.
With James McDonald in the saddle this time, the method of victory was executed in similar style, as Boundless positioned outside the leader.
Following a steady pace, Boundless kicked hard under the urgings of McDonald, wide of centre track in the straight, to hold a comfortable three quarter length margin over the leader Sand Hawk in second.
Sand Hawk won a $100,000 Open Handicap (2500m) at Moonee Valley in late September defeating Britomart but was disappointing in two subsequent starts, finishing down the track in the Group 2 Herbert Power Stakes (2400m) and once again only ten days ago in the Group 2 Moonee Valley Gold Cup (2500m).
While the runner-up in the recent Kelt Capital Stakes, Ginga Dude, finished half a length away in third.
Evidence of the strength of the victory was reinforced in the final 600 metre time of 34.46, suggesting it was pretty tough for horses to challenge from off the speed.
Boundless was bred by Brent and Cherry Taylor at Trelawney Stud, where Van Nistelrooy stood, under the Mrs C N Taylor & The B M Taylor Family Trust.
As is often the case in staying events, the winner displays stamina on the dam side, and there is no exception to the rule with Boundless.
Her dam Nothing Less is a full-sister to talented a staying mare, Twinkling, from group one Brisbane Cup winning mare Limitless, by Sir Tristram, who also won the Summer Cup, Tatts Cup and Anniversary Handicap all at Randwick during her career of eleven wins.
