New Zealand-bred delivers black-type breakthrough for Bobbin

[Wandering Eyes]

Stawell trainer Andrew Bobbin had a day to remember at Flemington on Saturday, celebrating his first stakes win in the Listed Hilton Nicholas Straight Six (1200m) with highly talented New Zealand-bred Ocean Beyond.

Previously a three-time winner and Listed performer from the Warrnambool stable of Daniel Bowman, the four-year-old was transferred to Bobbin earlier this year and had made one previous appearance for his new stable – finishing second at Caulfield on May 7.

Ocean Beyond took a big step forward from that with an irresistible finish at Flemington on Saturday. After settling in fifth-last, he was briefly held up in a tightly bunched pack with less than 200 metres to run but angled to the outside and flashed home over the top of Crestani to score by a long neck.

“This (winning stakes races) is what I always wanted to do,” said Bobbin, who has trained 39 winners in a career that commenced in late 2020. “To win one here is certainly a highlight.

“This horse showed plenty of promise early, and he’s just thriving in the country environment since he came to our place. He looks like a mountain goat, he’s that woolly and rough-looking, but he lives outside in a yard and clearly it’s working.”

Jockey Linda Meech was delighted to play her part in handing Bobbin his first black-type success.

“It’s a great feeling,” she said. “He’s young, he’s on the way up, he’s so positive. He’s a joy and a pleasure to ride for. I’ve been to his farm a couple of times, the way he’s turned it around in the last 12 months is unreal. It’s got to be seen to be believed what he’s doing.

“I was just looking for a way to get out without causing any interference, and I had a lapful of horse – I was travelling the best of anyone at the 200 metres.”

Bred by Waikato Stud, Ocean Beyond is one of 17 individual black-type winners for quality sire Ocean Park and is out of the Pins mare Frankly – a four-race winner from the family of Red Delicious, who is the dam of multiple Group One winner Madison County and last week’s Gr.1 South Australian Derby (2500m) placegetter Detonator Jack.

Offered by Ohukia Lodge at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale at Karaka, Ocean Beyond failed to meet his reserve and was later bought by Bowman for $60,000. He has now had 13 starts for four wins, two placings and A$339,225 in stakes.

During his time in Bowman’s care, Ocean Beyond was a black-type winner as a three-year-old in the Listed McKenzie Stakes (1200m) at Moonee Valley in November of 2020. He also ran third in last year’s Listed Village Stakes (1200m) at Caulfield behind Lombardo, who went on to win Saturday’s Gr.1 Goodwood (1200m) at Morphettville.

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