Memorable Boulder Cups

Perth Turf Talk | Metropolitan Racing | Tue 9 September, 2014

On Sunday the KBRC Race Round officially opens with the Boulder Cup (2100m) and similar to the Coolgardie Cup we reflect back on some of the most memorable moments on this famous race day.

Of the big three races over the Race Round the Boulder Cup has been embroiled in controversy ever since the famous so called 'ring-in' in the 1936 Cup when a horse by the name of Vital was backed off the boards and won the cup but was later reported to be (but never proven) the 1935 Caulfield Cup winner Palfresco.

We go back to the sixties an era dominated on the Goldfields by the late-great Reg 'Chillie' Treffone. He won the Boulder Cup twice in this decade with Guard Lock in 1963 and Dover Castle in '68.

Aster Anthus was another top galloper to be successful but the most famous was Jenark. He won the Boulder and Kalgoorlie Cups for Harold 'Jock' Campbell and Bernie 'Cups' Ryan in 1967 and then took off the Perth Cup in 1969.

The seventies was another decade filled with great race horses like Catch A King, Lord Wood and Bold Conqueror. The locally trained Pomme Dior attained legendary status for Robert Brown and Mighty Cheer for the late ER'Trainer' Brown.

But for many reasons we have to remember 1975 and the win by the George Way trained Boat ridden by Harry Wulff. As the field thundered out of the straight the first time a horrific fall brought most of the runners down leaving only about five horses standing with Boat lumping 62kg to victory.

But tragically in that incident, Ray Oliver the father of Damien and the late Jason Oliver lost his life, creating a sad chapter in one of the most famous racing stories of Australian racing folk lore.

The eighties was no exception for great names on the honour roll with Another Nuisance for the late Garry Mills, Whiskey Road trained by Tom Pike, Congressman who almost won the treble in 1987 and the two Frank Maynard winners Santa Cavalier (81) and Best Time (88).
But the Ross Price trained mare Rosamoss gets the nod.

When she won the Boulder Cup in 1983 the heavens opened and the track was wet and damn cold. She returned a week later and repeated the dose in the Kalgoorlie Cup and went a long way in developing the long and successful career of her trainer Ross Price who was also successful with Congressman during this decade.
For sheer emotion the upset win by the grey galloper Kaysart in the 1991 Boulder Cup clinches the nineties title.

Ridden by the late Jason Oliver, Kaysart defeated the unlucky red hot favourite Higginsville, ridden by Michael Lane for Neville Parnham, thwarting what should have been the big treble for Higginsville.

Oliver returned to scale with 'tears in his eyes' having won the race which had claimed the life of his father Ray some sixteen years earlier. It was a win tinged with sadness and ecstasy- even his trainer the hard-nosed Alan Mathews was overcome with emotion.
To this day Michael Lane still declares it was the only race he was glad to have been beaten in as he was good friends to the end with Jason Oliver.

But this decade was full of famous winners including Signpost the inaugural winner of the Triple Nugget Bonus, the flashy chestnut Larwood's Gift, Top Villain who won the Triple Nugget only to lose the Kalgoorlie Cup on disqualification, Forehand trained by the legendary Henry Davis and the local wonder horse Corporate James.

In 2002 Lawmaker won the Boulder Cup en route to being the last horse to take the treble, My Thornbird won in 2004 for Geoff Durrant which commenced one of the most important family links with the Race Round with his son Adam dominating the local features like no other in the modern era. And it is this association that throws up the efforts of a true evergreen in Reverend Lovejoy the Cup winner in 2009 and 2011 for another master of the Round in Peter Hall.

Named after a character from the Simpsons 'The Reverend' enjoyed almost rock star status with his many fans not only winning two Boulder Cups but also a Coolgardie Cup adding to a career earnings at retirement of almost $650,000.

But more than honourable mentions are deserved for Never Blue, Opening Twist, Impact Rating, Mr Diagnosis and Gondorff.

So there it is a look at a race as colourful and controversial as the city it's named after-Boulder.

Hopefully the attendance on Sunday will do the race proud and another winner will add its name to this most famous of Honour Boards. 

www.kbrc.com.au

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