One Bold Cat too good for Arrowfield rivals
Robbie Patterson had his sights set on the Livamol Classic (Gr 1, 2040m) for One Bold Cat, but the gelding showed he can be just as impressive at a mile with a powerful victory in the Arrowfield Stud Plate.
One Bold Cat burst onto the scene with a decisive win in the Counties Cup (Gr 3, 2100m) last November, and he continued to feature prominently in the top-flight staying contests, placing in the Herbie Dyke Stakes (Gr 1, 2000m).
Returning as a six-year-old, One Bold Cat showed positive signs finishing into third over 1200 metres in August before a string of abandonments, firstly at New Plymouth and then last Saturday’s Arrowfield meeting at Hastings. Patterson was hopeful his work behind the scenes would prove enough to feature in the Group 1 contest.
New Plymouth-based Patterson had an outstanding 2023/24 season, earning him a nomination for Trainer of the Year, and a lot of that success he credits to Eddie Bourke, co-owner and breeder of One Bold Cat.
“It’s pretty big, it means a lot because Eddie puts a lot into this business and we were only getting ready for the Livamol,” he said.
“Where he’s come from, he dug in and he’s a serious horse. A few of the scribes call him a B-grader, but he’s not.
“The Bold One’s take time, even in the Herbie Dyke he’s only run a length and a half from Legarto, and he’s had bad draws. It didn’t matter with the good draw today as he still got back, but with a lot of tempo, he’s just a good horse.
“I could see him travelling around the top and Ryan [Elliot] rode him beautifully, they spread and he just popped through. He didn’t look like he was going to get there, it was a good effort to get over the top of them really.”
“It might be [Group 1] number five, it’s good to get one this early in the season.”
Bourke said: “We didn’t really set him for this race and we thought the Livamol would be his go.
“The stallion is the most underrated, I think, in New Zealand. I was just talking to Garry Chittick from Waikato Stud, and he sort of agreed with me.
“I’m rapt, Robbie as a trainer, the track riders back home, the stable hands, the vet, the farrier, they’re all great people. They make this sort of day happen.”