Kiwi star mare Bonneval to make return at Moonee Valley

DUAL New Zealand Horse of the Year Bonneval is back in Melbourne to launch her spring campaign at Moonee Valley in the same race she won first-up a year ago.

Bonneval works at Flemington racecourse last October. Picture: Getty Images

DUAL New Zealand Horse of the Year Bonneval is back in Melbourne to launch her spring campaign at Moonee Valley in the same race she won first-up a year ago.

Bonneval was last week crowned New Zealand’s champion horse for the second- straight year, courtesy of her Australian Group 1 win in the Underwood Stakes at Caulfield which came after her victory in the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes at Moonee Valley.

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The star mare was ruled out of the autumn because of a suspensory ligament strain but co-trainer Andrew Forsman is looking forward to Bonneval’s return on Saturday in the Dato Tan Chin Nam (1600m).

“She travelled over yesterday morning and settled in well,” Forsman said. “She’s stronger as you would expect as a five-year-old mare now.

“Physically and the way she’s working, we couldn’t be happier with her.”

Forsman said Bonneval needed the time to recover from the injury before building up for the spring.

“It was just a minor strain of the suspensory,” he said.

“At the time we hoped it wasn’t career-threatening and it doesn’t look like it will be but it just meant that we couldn’t press on with that preparation.”

Star Kiwi mare Bonneval makes her Australian return on Saturday in the Dato Tan Chin Nam.

The mare and Godolphin star Hartnell are among six Group 1 winners in the 22 nominations for the Dato (1600m).

Bonneval surprised co-trainer Murray Baker and Forsman with her convincing win last year and Forsman said there were similarities with how she was going this time.

“She’s just had the one trial and ideally we would have given her two, but it’s basically been a very similar preparation to last year,” he said.

“The only difference is she’s not coming off an autumn campaign and she is an older horse so that’s probably the niggling doubt that maybe she’s not quite as forward, but she’s certainly had plenty of work.

“Looking at her and looking at her work, she’s pretty well spot-on to where she was last year.

“She might be half a run short but I’m fairly confident that she won’t be far away.”

Regan Bayliss will ride Bonneval on Saturday.

Oaks hopeful Rubira travelled over with Bonneval while Forsman said another three horses could head over on Sunday including Group 1 winner Jon Snow and Sydney Cup runner-up Zacada.

The Gai Waterhouse-trained English enjoys a morning at Botany Bay. Picture: Getty Images

ENGLISH RALLIES BEHIND EF TROOP IN TRIAL

Everest contender English has worked home late to finish second to the speedy three-year-old Ef Troop in a barrier trial at Rosehill.

The Tony Gollan-trained Ef Troop jumped quickly and went straight to the lead in Monday’s 895m-heat.

The colt extended in the straight with English warming up down the outside to get within 3-1/2 lengths.

The Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott-trained mare, who won the Doomben 10,000 earlier this year, will race in the $13 million Everest on October 13 for slot holder Damion Flower.

English, who finished midfield in the inaugural running of The Everest last year, was ridden in the trial by Tim Clark who is committed to the Anthony Freedman-trained Shoals, who is scheduled to make her return in the Group 2 McEwen Stakes at Moonee Valley on Saturday.

Gollan is eyeing the Listed Heritage Stakes (1100m) at Randwick on September 15 or the Group 2 Danehill Stakes (1200m) at Flemington on the same day for Ef Troop.

The Waterhouse-Bott-trained Global Glamour won her 1030m-trial by a narrow margin from Group 1 Sires’ Produce winner El Dorado Dreaming.

BEST SOLUTION ON WAY TO MELBOURNE

BEST Solution has confirmed a trip to Australia for the Caulfield and Melbourne Cups with victory in Germany’s most prestigious race, the Grosser Preis Von Baden at Baden-Baden.

Having struck at the top level at Hoppegarten last month, the Godolphin-owned four-year-old produced another big performance to give trainer Saeed bin Suroor a third win in the Baden-Baden showpiece on Sunday.

Ridden by Pat Cosgrave, Best Solution was strong at the end of the 2400m, holding off Defoe by a neck.

British bookmakers cut best Solution to 16-1 for the Caulfield Cup and 25-1 for the Melbourne Cup.

Bin Suroor said Best Solution would enter quarantine shortly. “I’m happy for him. He has improved and the jockey gave him a good ride,” he told Press Association Sport.

“He was good. He won the race well and now the plan is to take him to Australia.

“He will be in quarantine on the 13th of this month. We will run him in the Caulfield Cup and then the Melbourne Cup.”