Scone, Moruya previews: Local youngster Bold As Love ready to make a statement on debut

Lou Mary trained galloper, Bold As Love, a virtual replica of his sire Brazen Beau will carry the weight of expectation when he makes his debut at Scone.

Trainer Lou Mary is looking forward to the debut of Bold As Love at Scone on Friday. Picture: Grant Guy

A stunning barrier trial win last month has Brazen Beau’s doppelganger Bold As Love ready to open his career on the right note in the Hellbent Country Boosted Maiden Plate (1000m) at Scone.

Trained locally by Lou Mary, Bold As Love was the talk of the town among avid trial watchers after his near eight length win in an 800m Heat at Muswellbrook on June 26.

“He is a horse that has shown us plenty of ability,” Mary said.

“It was only a half a mile trial so he has to put it over a 1000m and get it right on the day.

“He has only got the one trial under his belt and he still does a couple of things wrong.

“I think the Scone racetrack should help him out, it is a pretty straightforward sort of course.”

Group 1 winning sprinter and sire Brazen Beau (pictured) has stamped his son Bold As Love in his own image.

One look at Bold As Love and it is easy to see the resemblance he bears to his father, the multiple Group 1-winning racehorse and now Group 1 sire, Brazen Beau.

“(Bold As Love) is a big, solid customer,” Mary said. “He is a big striding sort of horse and very powerful.

“He is a bit hard to train at times which you can see in his trials, he was quite keen to get on the job.

“He will improve with racing. We’ll get through Friday and see where he is at. If he up to go for the Spring or if he needs more time.”

Mary, whose last three runners have heralded two winners, has Shen Gui lining up in the Native Trial @ Darley Benchmark 66 Handicap (1400m).

The Gerry Harvey-bred son of All Too Hard handed in one of the worst runs on his 53 start career when a long last at Muswellbrook in mid-June but with excuses.

“He probably did way too much work early.” Mary said.

“He is the sort of horse if someone takes him on and puts pressure on him early, if he doesn’t get his own in front, he overdoes it, and the track was quite wet and chopped up and that is not to his liking at all.

Shen Gui finishes best!@Aaronbullock90 with a nice rid e for Lou Mary. pic.twitter.com/Ds0t2XhKH8

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 28, 2023

“We will probably ride him a bit more quiet on Friday with a bit of cover.

“Ideally I wish it would be a Soft track not a Heavy track with him. He is a big sort of horse that needs the right surface.

“I don’t think it is an overly strong 66.

“The horse is well, is he going to show up on the day or not, we’ll find out on Friday.”

Mary, meanwhile, will be at Royal Randwick on Saturday with Magic Pharoah aiming to secure herself a second TAB Highway.

Mary, like a lot of trainers participating at Sydney Racing’s headquarters, was glad to see the sun in the lead-up to Saturday’s meeting.

“The only bad run she has put in this preparation was her second-up run when the track was bottomless,” the trainer pointed out.

The daughter of USA Triple Crown winner American Pharoah arrives in town in great shape having asserted her superiority over her rivals at her most recent outing.

“She was really good at Tamworth.” Mary said.

“Ash Morgan had a feel of the mare on the day with the blinkers on first time and he thought she will go only better second time with the blinkers on.

“So I am really looking forward to seeing her on Saturday.”

WILLIAMS’ MARVEL HASN’T LOST THAT WINNING FEELING

Danny Williams has trained more marvels in the last few years than most in his profession see in a lifetime.

One of them, perhaps even above and beyond his giant-killer Shelby Sixtysix, is My Blue Jeans who lines-up at Moruya three weeks away from turning ten and at his 115th start.

What makes this now almost snow white coloured gelding foaled in South Australia all the more ‘marvellous’ is that he won his 114th start much to the surprise of the man who has seen him most morning for seven years.

“We didn’t really have any confidence,” Williams admitted.

“He really surprised us because he hadn’t had a great preparation leading into it.

“He is a difficult horse to work and we don’t do a lot of work with him at home because he pulls so hard.

My Blue Jeans bolts up the outside to win Race 3 at Moruya. @GoulburnTrainerpic.twitter.com/3mml5aAyuv

— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) June 28, 2024

“I put Nick Heywood on him two days before he raced and he bolted on him over 800m then he’s come out and circled the field and won.”

Whether he can repeat the feat on a much wetter track at Moruya, time will tell, but he owes Williams nothing, quite the reverse actually.

“He was a $10,000 purchase in Adelaide that we’ve had a lot of fun with,” the trainer said.

“He’s been ultra-consistent and very honest.”

Williams only ‘problem’ when time is eventually called on My Blue Jeans’ career is which ‘home’ to choose from.

“We’ve had a lot of people on social media saying they were hoping he didn’t win last start because they thought he was getting close to retiring,” said Williams.

‘There are a lot of people out there interested in him.”

Williams, meanwhile, will saddle-up two of My Blue Jeans’ much younger and less experienced stablemates, namely Completely Package and Jewel Approach.

“Completely Package showed more at home than she did at the race,” Williams said.

“Her first couple of starts, we thought we could win, and we left our money in the bag a little bit.

“She’s come back a lot more finished and mature.”

Jewel Approach, a lightly-raced daughter of Dawn Approach could be the one to finish fastest late when she contests the penultimate race on the card.

“From a good gate, if she can get wide, she will be running on.

“She is an each way chance,” he said.

Originally published as Scone, Moruya previews: Local youngster Bold As Love ready to make a statement on debut