Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
An unexpected attack of colic a fortnight ago forced promising pacer OK Boomer to miss the Pinjarra Four-Year-Old Classic and severely dented the hopes of the gelding contesting the upcoming rich feature events for four-year-olds at Gloucester Park.
But OK Boomer responded quickly to treatment and earned a start in the $125,000 Four-Year-Old Classic next Friday week and the $200,000 Golden Nugget a fortnight later when he scored a fighting all-the-way victory in the $50,000 Nova Four-Year-Old Championship over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
Part-owner and trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper was delighted when OK Boomer, the $2.60 favourite from the favourable No. 2 barrier, relished his pacemaking role and held on grimly to beat the $4.80 second fancy Sorridere by a half-head to qualify automatically for the Golden Nugget.
Harper, who drove Countess Kala to a nose victory over Makes The Rules in the Golden Nugget in December 1999, and was first past the post with True Takeoff in the 1996 Nugget before that pacer was disqualified, explained that OK Boomer had to be scratched from the Pinjarra Classic because of the medication used to treat the colic.
“OK Boomer got a little bit sick on the Saturday afternoon before the Pinjarra race when he had a little touch of colic,” he said. Missing the Pinjarra race was far from ideal before the gelding contested Friday night’s Group 3 feature event, an important lead-up before the next two big events for four-year-olds.
“I hoppled OK Boomer for a workout at Byford last Monday, and he went extra good, running a couple of 27s,” said Harper. “He pulled up a bit big tonight, so he obviously needed the run.
“He is not just a frontrunner; he can win when coming from behind. He won quite a few races in Queensland, coming off a sit.”
After a reasonable lead time of 37.2sec. on Friday night, OK Boomer was able to cover the opening 400m section in a comfortable 30.3sec. before pressure exerted by $7.50 chance Skylou in the breeze saw the second quarter run in 29sec. and the final quarters were run in 27.7sec. and 28.2sec.
Sorridere, winner of the recent Pinjarra Classic, enjoyed a perfect trip in the one-out, one-back position before finishing determinedly and just failing. Lusaka ($9) raced in fifth place, three back on the pegs, before running home strongly into third place.
OK Boomer rated 1.55.1 and he took his record to 34 starts for ten wins, 11 placings and $165,022. A winner at two of his eleven New Zealand starts, OK Boomer won once in Victoria and four times in Queensland before arriving in WA where his five starts at Gloucester Park have produced three wins and a third placing.
OK Boomer is by champion sire Bettors Delight and is the fourth foal out of Art Major mare Its Onlyforyou, who was an outstanding performer on the racetrack, having 46 starts for nine wins, 17 placings and $365,459. Its Onlyforyou was a brilliant two-year-old when her wins included the Group 1 Two-Year-Old Fillies Championship at Alexandra Park in May 2012 and the Group 1 Diamond Classic at Cambridge the following month.