Boniface, ridden with the confidence of the race’s top contender, finally delivered for patient punters with a victory in the Group 3 $250,000 Premier’s Cup (2000m) at Royal Randwick on Saturday.
The French import had experienced a string of unlucky runs in his four prior starts in Australia, but jockey Tommy Berry guided the gelding with assurance, proving superior to his competitors.
Berry strategically positioned Boniface in second place behind So You Are, maintaining this formation until late in the straight, effectively negating any potential hindrances.
Boniface then asserted command of the race, winning decisively and signalling his potential for the upcoming spring carnival.
“We got the first half too easy and Rachel’s (King, rider of So You Are) has got a beautiful knack of getting horses into a lovely rhythm, slipping you down the side and you can’t get her back,” Berry said. “So, I just had to make sure I was close enough without trying to get to the front too early on my bloke.
“When they haven’t won for a while, they lack a little bit of confidence and he needed that today, so I’m sure he’ll go on with it now.”
Berry, the new rider for Boniface, was keen to acknowledge the significant contribution of the gelding’s previous jockey, Tyler Schiller, to the Premier’s Cup win.
“I’ve got to say, full credit to Tyler, who’s ridden him at his last couple,” Berry stated. “He obviously didn’t get the ride today, but he came around and saw me and told me everything I needed to know about the horse. That just shows what a top bloke he is, and he’ll obviously get his turn.”
Trained by Mick Price and Michael Kent Junior, Boniface ($2.45 favourite) wore down the leader So You Are ($3.60), winning by half a length. Matusalem ($8) finished strongly to claim third place, a short head behind the second horse.
Ben Elam, the Sydney stable representative for Price and Kent, commented on Boniface’s performance, highlighting it as a display of his developing talent.
“We had to feel our way with him trying to get into this race,” Elam explained. “It’s a race that always has some nice horses in it but it doesn’t get a massive field every year so we thought he was a chance of getting a run.
“We got the run on Monday with nominations being a little bit skinny. He’s trained on really well, we haven’t done a lot with him as he’s a highly strung horse, albeit he is relaxed.
“He puts a lot into his work so we don’t do much galloping with him. He’s a French import that we have had to ‘unwind’ a little bit.
“So, it was really good to see him relax outside the leader. I would like to see him with a bum in front of him so he can follow and be dragged into the race.
“He did a pretty good job and hit the line strongly so we are very pleased.”
Elam further noted the merit in Boniface’s win, stating the gelding is “definitely a better chaser, for sure.”
“But I said to Tommy I don’t care where you land just get him to relax,” Elam added. “If he finds a rhythm he will give you that sharp turn of foot he has got and he can sustain the gallop.
“I know he didn’t win by a big margin but I think you can say this horse has won by a margin that was respective of the run he had in transit.”
Elam indicated that Boniface is likely to target the Group 2 $300,000 Kingston Town Stakes (2000m) at Royal Randwick on September 12, followed by the Group 2 $2 million Hill Stakes (1900m) at Rosehill Gardens on October 10.
For those following the Premier’s Cup, the betting markets on Australian betting sites offer competitive odds.
