Opie Adding the Airpoints

NZ Racing Desk reports:

Bosson
ticking up frequent flyer points

There will
be few jockeys who have crossed the Tasman more times than Opie Bosson, and the
top New Zealand hoop is set to add to his frequent flyer points in the coming
months.

Bosson made
frequent trips to Australia in the spring to partner Te Akau stars Melody Belle
and Te Akau Shark and he is hoping for similar success in the autumn with the
pair.

Melody
Belle added a 10^th Group One to her tally when she took out the
Empire Rose Stakes (1600m) in November before finishing runner-up in the Gr.1
Mackinnon Stakes (200m), while Te Akau Shark placed in the Gr.2 Tramway Stakes
(1400m), Gr.1 Epsom Handicap (1600m), and Gr.1 Cox Plate (2040m).

Bosson will
fly to Melbourne this weekend to partner Melody Belle in the Gr.1 Futurity
Stakes (1400m) and begin her autumn campaign which will include a tilt at the
A$5million All-Star Mile (1600m).

Supporters
backed her in droves, with the darling of the New Zealand turf receiving nearly
12,000 votes, securing her place in the unique public-voted race.

Melody
Belle finished third in her 1050m trial at Tauranga earlier this month and
Bosson said he was happy enough with her run.

“She needed the hit-out, she had a good puff after it. She didn't have the blinkers on, so she would have taken a lot of benefit out of it. They went quite fast in the trial and I had to give her a bit of a push along, but she was going the right way and felt good. I had no complaints.”

Bosson said
the daughter of Commands feels very similar compared to the lead-in to her spring
preparation.

She
finished fourth first-up in the Gr.2 Foxbridge Plate (1200m), however, Bosson
believes she will be highly competitive on Saturday given the feedback he has
received from trainer Jamie Richards.

“Jamie said
she has come on a lot since she has been in Australia, so I am sure she will be
pretty competitive on Saturday,” he said.

Bosson is
looking forward to riding in Melbourne this weekend and said he will be well
accustomed to airport terminals in the coming months.

“In the next month or two I will be going over there just about every weekend. I really enjoy riding in Australia, it is really good prize money which is great.

“I'll ride
in Sydney during the autumn and then go up to Queensland.

“Te Akau will probably be taking some horses to Brisbane, so we will probably head up there for the carnival.”

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