Warrnambool trainer Lindsey Smith won his first Casterton Cup (2000m) on Sunday, joining forces with jockey Dean Yendall and Kiwi import Bold Bourbon.
Four-year-old Bold Bourbon is in career-best form after recovering from a throat complaint and has relished racing on heavy decks in his previous two starts.
Onto a Soft 5 surface it didn’t go to plan early for the gelded son of The Bold One, who jumped from the widest gate and ended up posted three-wide the trip, before toughing it out in the straight to finish two lengths ahead of the 2021 Casterton Cup-winner Farooq.
Smith said the wide barrier (11) was a concern but he was delighted with the ride.
“I must admit I was worried about the wide barrier,” Smith told The Standard.
“It’s never good to draw a wide gate especially at Casterton. It was a good ride by Dean when you consider he had no other option but to push forward.”
Having started his career in New Zealand with Nick Bishara for whom he won a maiden race at Matamata, Bold Bourbon is racing in great heart, winning three in a row.
Smith will now plot a plan for his cup winner with multiple options under consideration.
“I’ll be guided by how Bold Bourbon pulls up but I’ll have a look at the racing calendar over the next few days to work out his future program,” he said.
“We could go to a mid-week race in town or head up to Swan Hill with him for his next start but that will be dictated by how well he pulls up.”
