Hansen Eyes Another 2YO Classic with Smart Gelding Bowdene

Rockhampton trainer Kris Hansen knows a thing or two about good young horses.

After all, he put the early polish on Sheza Alibi to win the Townsville Classic in her two-year-old year before her rise as one of the best horses in Australia.

Hansen said he knew the filly was special from the time she came into his stables.

And while promising gelding Bowdene is not in that league, Hansen thinks he could be pretty good after an easy win in the Wentworth Electrical 2YO Mdn (1000m) at Cluden Park on Friday.

Hansen is now weighing up a return trip to Cluden to try and repeat Sheza Alibi’s win in next month’s Classic or a crack at the Brisbane carnival.

“I’ve got a big opinion of him and always have. I think he will be pretty smart,” Hansen said.

“It’s one of those things. I’m looking at a race at the end of the carnival in Brisbane or I can bring him back up here for the Classic.

“I’ve got to weigh up my options because I’ve got another two-year-old likely to come up for this too, Stylish Diamond.

“Sheza Alibi won it last year and bolted in. I knew how good she was. Two weeks later I took her down for the Listed race in Brisbane and she should have won.

“She ran second to Autumn Boy. McEvoy (Keryn) got off and said she should have won. She got caught three and four deep.

“I reckon you’ll see the best of her right now coming in as a four-year-old.

“She’ll end up being a champion. That’s been my opinion and I always stick to that.”

Hansen knows he was blessed to train a horse as good as Sheza Alibi, if only for a season.

But he’s confident Bowdene will eventually furnish into a smart horse.

“This bloke is a work in progress. He copped a bump today and there was a fair bit happening in the race but he did his thing and Chris (Whiteley) only needed to ride him out hands and heels.

“I’m undecided at this stage where we’ll go. I’ll see how he comes through it and go from there. But he’ll easily get 1200m. 

“He’s relaxing now so we’re starting to sort that out.”

Fellow Rockhampton trainer Clinton Taylor also has next month’s Classic on his radar after he won the Ladbrokes 2YO Mdn (1000m) with debutante Block The Lead.

The Jonker gelding breezed to an easy 1 1/2 length win after hanging badly around the home turn and crossing the line wide on the track hard on one rein under jockey Ashley Butler.

Taylor said Block The Lead and stablemates Erima and Coal Seam could be potential starters in the Classic.

“He (Block The Lead) didn’t surprise me at all today. He’s shown me heaps from day one really and I think he’s well above average,” Taylor said.

“I eyed this race off about a month ago and expected him to win but maybe not in the way he did.

“If he goes straight he probably wins by five or six lengths.

“We’ll get him home and go over him just to make sure there’s no issues with him.

“I’ve got a couple showing us a bit and he’s right up there with our better two-year-olds Coal Seam and Erima. 

“It’s a tough two-year-old year. Holts have some smart ones, there’s Birchley’s (Liam) and I think the horse that won the first race (Bowdene) today is good too.

“It’ll be a top race.”

Meanwhile, Cairns trainer Stephen Massingham was cock-a-hoop after his Cup horse Smart Legend scored a tough win in the Key Motors Amateurs Trophy (1400m) for jockey Sean Cormack.

Cormack drove Smart Legend from the gates to race in second and pushed the gelding out to a half-length win from the Kris Hansen-trained Astra Star.

Going Nuclear ran home strongly for third a further half-length away.

Top hoop Lacey Morrison took riding honours for the day with a winning
treble.

Morrison was in top touch winning on Arancia for Darby Amos, Coppabella Road for Steven Royes and Alabama Moonlight for Trevor and Peter Rowe.