She’s a Bonny mare: Oceanex gallops into the Melbourne Cup for Bonbeach footy club
A bunch of mates from Bonbeach football club can’t believe their luck after the horse they part-own secured the “golden ticket” into the Melbourne Cup.
Local Footy
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The Melbourne Cup is the race that stops a nation, but nothing will stop the party in Bonbeach on the first Tuesday in November — especially if an honest staying mare by the name of Oceanex happens to win the great race.
Oceanex is part owned by a bunch of mates from the Bonbeach footy club and they are dreaming big after she secured the golden ticket into the Cup by winning the $320,000 Listed Andrew Ramsden Stakes (2800m) at Flemington on Saturday.
She is guaranteed a start, and the boys from Bonny are already planning the party.
“It’s going to be absolutely sensational,” syndicate member Peter Hogan, who says his share of the ownership equates to a “hair in the tail”, said.
Hogan, like most of the other owners, can’t believe his luck. He’s owned horses before but they’ve been slow (one wouldn’t even get on a horse float).
Oceanex, trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Jnr, started her career cautiously but she’s gone like a rocket once the race distances have increased.
“We always said, ‘why don’t you put it over more ground’, us expert trainers (said),” Hogan laughed.
“Like, Mick Price, what would he know?
“She kept finishing off (in her races).”
Steve Cochrane, who put together the Bonbeach Coterie Group syndicate, remembers Oceanex’s first trial. She ran last, beaten out of sight.
“I was getting texts and emails from the boys saying, ‘what have you got here, Cocky? She couldn’t keep up’,’’ he said
“She’s a New Zealand filly, you just had to be patient.”
Some of Bonbeach’s footy royalty are in the horse, including Peter Ades, Joey and Dianne Capp, Tony Ferguson, Brad “Tangles’’ Kingsbury, Peter Hogan and John Van Echteld.
Cochrane says it’s a dream to have a Melbourne Cup runner and he is determined to enjoy the ride with his mates from Bonbeach.
“I like to pump it up a little bit,” he said.
“I tell them, ‘we’ve got it in the bag, mate. You’ll be a Melbourne Cup winning owner’.
“They say, ‘don’t get too far ahead of yourself’.
“I say, live for the moment.’’
The lid’s off...and the beers are on ice.
Go the Bonny mare.