 | RACING HISTORY |
YEAR: 2002
FEATURE RACE COMMENT
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Auckland pie man Roger Bond has an appetite for winning big races at Addington. His first big one was the Pyne Gould Guinness NZ Yearling Sales 3-year-old Trot last Friday night with Tony H, and he hopes there will be a repeat of it in the $50,000 Trotting Derby this week.
There is no certainty of that because Sundon's Luck is the fresh face in the ranks and a shiney one at that. He gave Tony H a serious test, and only failed by a neck.
Tony H had not raced since Ashburton earlier last month, and indeed, had not been off the place for a trials of workout tightener. So trainer Tremain Thorby pretty much expected something as close as this. He will certainly be a lot sharper for Sundon's Luck this week, and Bond and his partner Shirley will again make the trip from Auckland to watch him perform.
Bond settled in New Zealand from Sheffield 32 years ago, when he was 13. After being in Timaru for a start he moved to Christchurch where he became the manager of a rental car firm. His early visits to the races were mainly social, and enjoying the pleasure of watching two greats, Noodlum at Addington, and the galloper Grey Way at Riccarton.
On shifting to Auckland, he was introduced to Colin Kennedy, whose wife Karen is Shirley's cousin. This is when the horse thing started to get serious. The Kennedys suggested that Bond share the ownership in a couple of horses they had starting up, Lord Graceland and Shardon's Star. "It has been great. We have had a huge amount of fun," he said. Bond also had a share in the club syndicate that raced Matai Mackenzie, Parisian Falcon and Moschino.
Two years ago, they stepped up a cog. Deciding that there were opportunities going begging in the Sales Series for trotters - "there was a lot of money available and the prices for trotters were less than half what you had to pay for a pacer," said Bond - they combined with Kennedy and radio host Peter Earley to impliment the plan. "We had wanted to get five," he said, "but finished up with three."
They bought William Edward, Crystal Bella, who has since been sold, and a Sundon colt from a Chiola Hanover mare - the same cross as Sundon's Luck - for $6500. This was Tony H, who is unbeaten in his last four starts, and has won over $60,000. "He has been a natural," said Bond. "He has matured a lot and become a lot more settled and Tremain is a good trainer and very thorough.
Credit: Mike Grainger writing in HRWeekly 27Mar02