Group One winning filly Bonham has run her final race for her current connections, with prominent owner Gary Harding confirming the daughter of Per Incanto will be sold as a racing and breeding prospect at the Gold Coast Sale next month.
Prepared at Otaki by Johno Benner and Hollie Wynyard, Bonham was a strong winner of the Gr.1 Levin Classic (1600m) in January, defeating quality colt Brando.
The three-year-old filly returned from a break to run second in the Gr.2 Wellington Guineas (1400m) behind Need I Say More, coming from last on the home turn.
“She has finished for the season,” Harding said.
“The sale is only a bit over a month away, so I want to get her over there and settled in and give her future owner a reasonable chance.”
Harding has raced some top-quality fillies and mares over the years, including the likes of Bounding, Capella and Fix, the latter a New Zealand Bloodstock Filly of the Year, but is not involved in breeding these days.
“We buy them and race them,” Harding said. “I like my three-year-old racing and at the end of their three-year-old season we generally sell them, irrespective of where they are.
“Bonham has had six starts, won four, including a Group One, and finished second in a Group Two. That’s not a bad record,” he said of the Little Avondale Stud bred and raised filly whom he purchased for $160,000 as a yearling at Karaka.
Meanwhile, Harding has reported that Group Three placed filly Key has been sold to Australia, while winning Sebring filly Meg is another likely to be sold.
“A lot of people say we shouldn’t race them in New Zealand given the amount of money we outlay on them, but we enjoy racing them in New Zealand. It’s a hobby to myself and my family and I particularly like the Classic racing,” Harding said.
“I’d love to win a New Zealand 1000 Guineas (Gr.1, 1600m). I’ve run second (Bounding) and third (Fix) in it and like all owners say I was a dead cert beaten.”
