Bonneval (NZ) Powers To Underwood Victory

The Kiwis crashed the NZB Caulfield Spring Weight-For-Age Championship party on Sunday as New Zealand’s reigning Horse of the Year Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi) made her first start in the Series a winning one in the A$750,000 Hyland Race Colours Underwood Stakes (1800m).

Trained by Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman and ridden by Hugh Bowman, Bonneval got well back in the running but powered home in the last 300 metres to beat the favourite Hartnell (Authorized) by a length. Gailo Chop (Deportivo) was just behind him in third.

Raced by Alastair Lawrence, John Rattray and Terry Jarvis, Bonneval was a $150,000 purchase at the 2015 Premier Sale at Karaka. She has now won seven of her 10 starts for more than $1.6 million in prizemoney.

Bonneval has won her last six races in a row, all at Group level including the Group 1 New Zealand Oaks, Australian Oaks and Underwood Stakes.

“She's still got a bit of her winter coat to lose, but we thought she'd improved on her last start (a win in the Group 2 Dato Tan Chin Nam Stakes),” Baker said. “She relaxes and she can stay.”

Bonneval earned 10 Championship Points for Sunday’s win, putting her in equal third place on the table alongside Memsie Stakes winner Vega Magic (Lope De Vega). Hartnell now leads with 18, with defending Series champion Black Heart Bart (Blackfriars) second with 15.

The fourth and final leg of the NZB Caulfield Spring WFA Championship Series will be the A$1m Ladbrokes Caulfield Stakes (2000m) on October 14. Bonneval is among the likely runners.