By Heather Anderson
Every day this week, a member of the TDN's Europe/International team nominates a personal 'Horse of the Year.' Heather Anderson selects the Australian Oaks winner and New Zealand Horse of the Year Bonneval (NZ) (Makfi {GB}).
When future New Zealand Horse of the Year Bonneval saluted by a head in the G2 Sir Tristram Fillies' Classic on Feb. 11, she was not the first stakes-winning daughter out of her dam or even the first group winner, but rather the fourth–of each. This full-sister to Australian Group 3 winner Imposing Lass (NZ) and half-sister to Group 3 winners Lady Cumquat (Aus) (Duke of Marmalade {Ire}) and Full of Spirit (Aus) (Flying Spur {Aus})–the last named was also second in the G1 Makfi Challenge S.–had just kicked off a campaign for the ages and would not taste defeat for another five starts.
Before Enable (GB) (Nathaniel {Ire}) began her 2017 tour de force in the Northern Hemisphere, the Murray Baker and Andrew Forsman trainee claimed an Oaks in her native land, in this case winning the Kiwi Classic by a half-length at Trentham on Mar. 18 after a narrow win in the G3 Lowland S. just over a fortnight earlier. The daughter of MG1SW and past Westbury Stud shuttler Makfi exited that Classic in good nick and took her show on the road for a greater challenge–the G1 Australian Oaks going 2400 metres at Randwick on Apr. 8. It would be Bonneval's campaign finale and she saved the best for last.
On the same day that Australian Horse of the Year Winx (Aus) (Street Cry {Ire}) recorded her 17th straight victory in the G1 Longines Queen Elizabeth S., Bonneval sprouted wings under Hugh Bowman, drawing off by 4 1/2 lengths and rewarding her sire with back-to-back Australian Oaks victresses, following Sofia Rosa (NZ)'s triumph in 2016.
It would be fair to say I was delighted by that outcome, as only a week earlier, my 2017 G1 New Zealand Derby pick, Jon Snow (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}), who is also a stablemate of Bonneval, had finally put it all together in the G1 Australian Derby, besting, among others, the tremendously popular and resilient G1 New Zealand Derby winner Gingernuts (NZ) (Iffraaj {GB}), who bears the Te Akau Racing silks (The three-time Group 1 scorer, who was another Kiwi to take out Australian spoils in the G1 Rosehill Guineas last season, was my husband's NZ Derby pick).
Bonneval made another successful Australian raid as a newly turned 4-year-old, when taking the G2 Dato' Tan Chin Nam S. at Moonee Valley on Sept. 9, two days before she cleaned house at the New Zealand Thoroughbred Awards, scooping titles for Champion Stayer, 3-Year-Old and Horse of the Year. Next out, the filly put her stamp on the G1 Underwood S. on Oct. 1 at Caulfield and, although she has finished unplaced in two further Australian runs at the top level since, there is surely more to come from the still-maturing Bonneval.
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