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Home / Sport / Racing

Racing: Karaka king Opie Bosson will trim to ride Probabeel at Karaka Million

By Michael Guerin
NZ Herald·
5 Jan, 2020 04:00 PM4 mins to read

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Class prevails as Probabeel charges to the front on her way to victory at Awapuni. Photo / Race Images

Class prevails as Probabeel charges to the front on her way to victory at Awapuni. Photo / Race Images

The king of the Karaka Million says he will make the weight to ride superstar filly Probabeel when she tries to create history at the Ellerslie mega meeting in 19 days time.

Opie Bosson has been the hero of the industry's biggest night for the last three years, riding Melody Belle, Avantage and Probabeel to win the Karaka Million.

Each time that has meant trimming down to his rock bottom riding weight of 54.5kg, which he will need to do again if he wants to ride Probabeel in the $1 million Karaka Classic Mile for 3-year-olds.

After riding the outstanding filly to win her comeback race at Awapuni on Saturday, Bosson says he will make the weight.

"Riding a horse like her and heading toward a big night like this I realise the opportunity I have been given," Bosson told the Herald.

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"And I will be riding her. I am confident I can make the weight because I have done it the last three years."

Bosson says that means changing his eating habits from around about now for the next three weeks, rather than upping his exercise load.

"It is more about the eating for me. You can't exercise too much more because you run out of energy.

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"But I am confident I can make it."

Probabeel is looking to become the first horse to win both the Karaka Million and the Classic, two of only three $1 million races held in New Zealand.

She should take significant improvement out of her ultimately easy win at Awapuni, one which would had $1.15 punters feeling a touch nervous in the middle stages as Bosson had to encourage Probabeel to hold her spot one off between horses.

"That is her, she is lazy like that," he explains.

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"She was half a length back between two horses and it was quite tight and usually I would have pulled out of that and let her settle but she was the best horse in the race so I wanted to keep her there."

Probabeel will have learned something from the race, shouldering her way clear at the top of the straight and then changing gears when balanced up, winning going away.

"I can't wait to ride her over 2000m one day," Bosson added.

She is the $1.60 favourite to complete the Million double but while she is all class she will have some quality Australian opposition after Conqueror confirmed his trip to Ellerslie by winning at Caulfield on Saturday.

A $1m Karaka yearling, as you might expect for a good-looking son of Fastnet Rock and Diademe, Conqueror has only won two of his 10 starts but has played with the big boys in Melbourne this season, finishing sixth around some class acts in the Caulfield Guineas.

He was dogged to the line winning over 1400m on Saturday and is trained by the Hayes/Dabernig stable who won the Karaka Classic last season with Long Leaf.

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The stable indicated the Conqueror ride will be offered first to Saturday's jockey Damien Oliver which would add some bonus international glamour to Karaka Million night should he accept. Bosson will ride Cool Aza Beel, who races at Ellerslie next Sunday, in the Karaka Million as he tries to win the race for the fourth year on end, with trainer Jamie Richards confirming he will only have the two starters in the juvenile.

As good as Probabeel was on Saturday she will have to settle for second in the performance of the day rankings after Beauden's incredible win in the $55,000 Marton Cup.

Having quickly found himself carrying a 59kg top weight, Beauden also found himself wide for the majority of the 2200m listed event but still bolted in, confirming he is one of the elite middle distance horses in the country.

Karaka countdown

New Zealand's richest race meeting

When: January 25.

Where: Ellerslie, twilight start.

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What: $1 million Karaka Million, $1 million Karaka 3-Y-O Classic, $100,000 Westbury Classic, $100,000 Karaka Stayers Cup, $70,000 Mr Tiz Trophy, $70,000 Concorde Handicap.

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