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Ocean Park handed the Waikato Stud stallion his 12th stakes winner
Having finished seventh on his previous two starts at stakes level, Ocean Billy (5 g ex Cool Storm by One Cool Cat) finally chalked up a victory at black-type level when he proved too strong in the Waikato Cup (Gr 3, 2400m) at Te Rapa on Saturday and in the process became stakes winner number 12 for his Waikato Stud-based sire Ocean Park (Thorn Park).
Trained by Bill Pomare, the five-year-old gelding shot three lengths clear in the straight, eventually coming out a half a length on top of a battle with Savy Yong Blonk (Savabeel), while Sherrif (High Chaparral) was a further half a length away in third.
“I had a feeling that the further this horse went the better he would be,” Pomare said.
“I’ve been patching him up for the last two weeks and I honestly thought he wouldn’t be here.
Despite the issues they had experienced Pomare, who co-owns Ocean Billy with his wife Suzi and Rotorua stalwart Peter Ludgate, had been quietly confident of a good run.
“I’m rapt for me old partner Peter Ludgate and I hope his heart handles all this while my wife Suzi will be over the moon,” he said.
“I felt this was something he was capable of and with the money he was paying ($23), I did think he was better than that.
“He knocked a fetlock joint before the Counties Cup and in the last three weeks he has had issues with mud rash so we’ve been working overtime to get him here.
“I know how good he is, although it’s hard telling people, but today he showed them all.”
The gelding is out of Listed-winning One Cool Cat (Storm Cat) mare Cool Storm, who is herself the daughter of fellow Listed winner Flying Free (Heroicity), while further back this is the same family as stakes-winning mare Shinko Bay (Shinko King).
Cool Storm’s colt by Sweynesse (Lonhro) was purchased by Qingcai Huang for NZ$70,000 at the 2019 New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Yearling Sale, while her filly by that same sire was purchased by JC Pender for NZ$20,000 at the Karaka sale earlier this year.
Ocean Park’s progeny is headed by Group 1-winning duo Kolding and Tofane and he has 17 lots set to go under the hammer during Book 1 of next month’s New Zealand Bloodstock Karaka National Yearling Sale.
