Lynward Park’s in-form stallion Bondi sired three Ascot winners over the Easter long-weekend and it was hard to go past Centre Bond as the TBWA Winner of the Week.
Centre Bond appreciated plenty of galloping room in running and he circled the field into the straight before surging clear to score by more than two lengths in the TABtouch Maiden (1200m).
At his only other start at Pinjarra on March 7, the 3yo gelding started a $4.40 favourite but got lost down the straight course in the race won by Ahyeahrighto (Harry Angel). “He had won trials at Lark Hill but his legs were all over the place first-up and he was on the wrong side of the track,” jockey Jason Whiting recalled. “He has ability but is still learning.”
Trainer Graeme Ballantyne concurred saying Centre Bond is still a prep or two away from peaking. “He didn’t get any favours out wide today but that may have helped being such a long-striding horse. He didn’t look completely balanced but still won it comfortably at the finish.”
He was bred by former Orange Grove trainer Dennis Barker and is raced by his wife Kay. Ballantyne and the Barkers also raced lightly-tried gelding Regal Access (Mahuta) for wins at Ascot and Pinjarra last season.
His dam Centro Gal (Giant’s Causeway) was runner-up on debut in the 2008 Paklani Plate (1100m) at Ascot going down a neck to Danerip (Danetime). The winner doubled up in the G3 Gimcrack Stakes (1100m) but Centro Gal was sidelined until the following season and only had one more outing before retirement.
Centre Bond was the second new winner by Bondi in the opening two races at Ascot on Good Friday. His speedy 3yo filly Riseanfall won the first-leg with a front-running victory in the Furphy Hcp (1000m). The Bondi double paid $41.
Riseanfall was sold by Mogumber Park (as agent) for $26,000 at the 2022 Perth Magic Millions to David and Joy Kelly. Her dam Moreish (More Than Ready) completed a clean-sweep in the 2013 fillies classics in the LR Ascot 1000 Guineas (1800m), LR Natasha Stakes (2200m) and G3 WA Oaks (2400m).
Bondi’s Future also swept a winning hat-trick in the Seacorp Hcp (1800m) on Saturday. He had won a Geraldton maiden on March 17 and backed up for wins at Belmont and Ascot. Trained by Adam Durrant for owner-breeders Rod and Tania Cosgrove, he earned $135,000 for the Mingenew couple in a fortnight.
“He’s absolutely humming!” Durrant Racing noted. “That’s three in a line for the Bondi gelding and he transitioned seamlessly to Saturday class on another quick turnaround to get the job done.”
That made it 6 individual winners of 8 races in March for the Lynward Park stallion. “Bondi is doing a great job,” RWWA anchor Lachie Taylor said as Bondi’s Future returned to scale. “It took a while for them to warm up but they’re really coming to hand at the back-end of their 3yo season.”
