An untimely cough forced trainer Kim Waugh to abandon plans to set promising three-year-old Bojangles for a Brisbane carnival campaign but all is in order now to reboot his preparation at Rosehill on Saturday.
Trainer Kim Waugh
Waugh had some of the feature three-year-old races in mind for Bojangles but said given the setback, which required some treatment, she’s happy to focus on taking him through his grades before aiming higher again.
The gelding was runner-up to Schwarz in the Group 3 Hawkesbury Guineas (1400m) back on May 4 then didn’t have the best of luck in one of the form races of the winter running sixth behind Elson Boy at Scone.
“We were going to go to Brisbane with him but he got a little cough so I didn’t want to do that,’’ Waugh said.
“He’s showing a lot of ability so when everything went south when we wanted to go to Queensland for those nice three-year-old races I was just happy to get him back on track.
“He’s pretty clean winded, he’s pretty fit, he’s an athletic horse so I don’t think fitness would be a worry.”
Bojangles, $7 with TAB on Friday in the Rosehill Bowling Club Handicap (1200m), has been back to the trials for an easy hitout since his Scone run.
The Wyong trainer said there’s no doubt he should have finished closer in a race that’s already produced six winners including a stakes winner.
“He got jammed up and couldn’t really get a clear run in the straight until the last probably 100m but hit the line very well,’’ she said.
“He has a nice gate, normally in big fields you get nervous you’re going to draw bad, so he can be handy and be just behind the pace somewhere where he’s nice and comfortable.
“He’s got such a great turn of foot and I think he will end up getting over a mile.”
Waugh plans to set honest grey Bethencourt for a couple of Big Dance eligible races in the coming months so the TAB Handicap (1500m) is an important step along the way.
It’s something of a plan B, though, for the seven-year-old who was due to contest an 1800m race at Randwick last week that Waugh described as “the perfect race for him”.
Bethencourt will head toward the South Grafton Cup (1600m) on July 14 and the Coffs Harbour Cup (1600m) on August to attempt to throw his hat in the ring for the $3 million Big Dance.
“He does need a run because it’s been a few weeks now,’’ she said.
“He’s drawn a bit awkward but he’s going very well and if he gets a nice run I think he will still go great.”
– Racing NSW
