Local trainer Scott Ewen can’t wait to test his best against some of the biggest measuring sticks in Australian harness racing when Bulletproof Boy lines up for his fifth-consecutive Cranbourne Cup on Saturday night.
After a $50,000 boost in prizemoney, this year’s $150,000 edition carries coveted Group 1 status and has attracted some of the best pacers in the land.
Last week’s Ballarat Cup winner and reigning Cranbourne Cup champion Leap To Fame headlines a quality field that includes high-class performers such as Kingman and Swayzee.
Bulletproof Boy had a tough run when defending his crown at Ballarat last week; two weeks after making it back-to-back Bendigo Cups.
The 11-year-old bay gelding – Art Official/My Riviera Girl – stopped the clock in a winning mile rate of 1:51.2 at Bendigo; just a fraction outside the best of his career.
Ewen, who bred the horse in his South Australian days back in 2014 – after also training his mother – believes his stable star is going as good as he ever has since making the switch to Cranbourne in 2019.
“He struggled over here at first, won a few races here and there, but once he worked out how to handle their speed and what they did, he improved greatly,” Ewen said.
“I’ve always said he’s like a good footballer…they rise to the occasion.
“He won’t go great the first time you put him against those really good ones, but once he races them a few times he starts to lift and trying harder.
“We don’t know why he’s like that…he’s a freak.”
Bulletproof Boy is the definition of a warhorse, winning 51 of his 224 starts and running a drum in 52 others.
He has amassed over $850,000, a total that will swell to the $1m mark if things go according to plan.
“To be honest, he’s going better than ever,” Ewen explained.
“In the Victoria Cup a couple of years back, we sat on the back of Leap To Fame and he pulled out at the top of the straight and he wanted to match him.
“I thought, ‘your keen, pulling out on the best horse in the land’.
“He got to his wheel and couldn’t quite match him; but now he goes past them.
“He’s definitely got better and popping James (Herbertson) on has been a big part of that, he’s a freak as well.
“When you get a good connection with a horse and driver I think they just go better.
“I had a great connection with him; but it’s been great to watch James develop that with him as well.”
Ewen said he could see no reason why Bulletproof Boy could not race on for at least another campaign.
“He’s still got at least another good season in him,” he said.
“A horse could be going good as a four-year-old and do an injury, there’s no guarantee.
“But the way he’s going at the minute, the way his legs are, he’s not overly big, so he’s not hard on himself…he could go for another two seasons easy.
“He’s never had a soreness problem since I’ve had him.”
Success in Saturday night’s feature would mean the world to a lot of people.
“It would be great to win the hometown cup and great for the club as well if we could do it,” Ewen said.
“It’s a Group 1 this year, they’ve put the extra $50k on it, so that’s great as well.
“He was going well last year, he won at Ballarat and Bendigo, but then got scratched from the Hunter Cup after kicking out and pulling the skin off his hock.
“It blew up like a balloon; he went to the Cranbourne Cup, but probably shouldn’t have and James said he wasn’t himself that night.
“He wasn’t far away but he should have gone better.
“The only horse he hasn’t beat is Swayzee and I don’t think he’s any better than the other two.
“I just need a draw, simple as that, if he gets a draw and gets in behind them…he’ll run a huge race for sure.”
Ewen is already looking one step ahead, targeting the $1m Miracle Mile Series at Menangle, which concludes with the final on March 14.
“Even before he won those two good races, I’ve always said we want to go back to the Miracle Mile,” he said.
“He ran fourth in the heat last year, was second emergency, drew barrier one but didn’t get a run in the final.
“It would have been great to get a run from that draw, but he went to the backup race and ran second.
“He’s going better and I’d love to have another crack at that race…that’s the aim.”
