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All cheers to Bull And Bear |
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Michael Lee |
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A raffles horse gave his lucky owners an even greater buzz than
that memorable May day they won the prize when he scored his first win on
Friday night. Bull And Bear was put up as the prize to a raffles organised by
Wade Burridge of Magic Millions during last May’s Singapore International
Racing Festival, and well, no prizes for guessing who were the lucky
winners. Five partners in popular
Their wives must have wondered if the horse was not the result
of a few rounds too many that night, but it was for real. The Bull And Bear
Stable did not have to look too far and wide for the trainer who would be
responsible for their new pride and joy – Burridge’s father, leading trainer
Steven. “It’s great to see this horse win tonight,” said Burridge jr.
“The idea behind the raffles was to bring more people to horse ownership in a
fun and innovative way. “These guys have never owned a horse before, but they’ve all
been very excited about the whole experience from the get-go. “They’ve already bought a second horse that they will send to
Dad.” Bull And Bear (Ronnie Stewart) had not shown much at his
previous four runs, though he did make some headway at his last run when
he ran on late over a Polytrack 1100m race on October 31. Sent out at lukewarm odds of $49, the Favourite First Empress (Joao Moreira) was already in strife as
she could not overcome her awkward alley to get caught on a limb four wide
before eventually getting some cover 800m out. Upon straightening, Bull And Bear was a little held up behind
Vuvuzela Vroom while second elect Media Mogul (Saimee Jumaat) looked the most
dangerous as he motored home down the middle. But Media Mogul had an inclination to lay in under pressure,
crowding First Empress, who was trying to come out into the clear at the
200m. With the favourite pole-axed, Media Mogul seemed destined to victory
until Bull And Bear, who had in the meantime found the split between the
weakening Vuvuzela Vroom and Mr Cool Man (Steven Li), came
attacking the line with great resolve. Media Mogul kept laying in but Bull And Bear was barely ruffled
and hit the line with half-a-length to spare. Constant Companion (Saifudin
Ismail) finished second another 1 ½ lengths away. The winning time was 1min
24.57secs. “He’s been a little bit weak and disappointing, but he has been
coming along all right,” said Burridge. “He was hard and fit for today’s race, but we couldn’t
over-enthuse about his chances of winning. “The track looks pretty cut up, but he did a good job. It’s good
for the owners as it’s their first horse. “Unfortunately, they’re still in the carpark and didn’t have
time to make it for the photo at the winner’s box. “But I’m sure they’ll make up for it at the pub tonight.” Stewart echoed Burridge’s circumspection about Bull And Bear’s
winning hopes but was pleasantly surprised by the finishing burst. “His work last week was very good and I thought he’d run well
tonight, but I wasn’t sure about winning,” said Stewart. “He has shown a bit of ability but I wasn’t sure it was enough
to step up to today’s race, but as it turned out it was the right race for
him. “It’s great for the boys (Bull And Bear Stable) as it’s their
first runner and first winner. Too bad they’re still in the carpark.” Bull And Bear cost A$25,000 as a yearling and cost A$120,000 as
a two-year-old. Looking at the way he won, that first win paycheque of
$35,000 is likely to be the first of many instalments that will go towards
recouping his purchase price. On a trivia side-note, Bull And Bear’s win certainly added a
“bullish” mood to Friday night’s opening proceedings as it was Bull Shot, a
$157 roughie, who also came charging home to claim his maiden win in Race 1. If punters had been running with the “Bulls”, they sure would be a happy lot now.
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