Oscar Bonavena still punching at age 10
The champion trotter has overcome much to remain relevant in open ranks.
by Adam Hamilton
He is the marvel they just call “old Oscar.”
Oscar Bonavena had won his first start way back on April 22, 2018 at Rangiora in New Zealand’s South Island and more than seven years later, as a rising 10-year-old, he will be a leading player in two of NZ’s biggest Group 1 trotting races in coming weeks.
For all the champions, pacers and trotters, Mark Purdon has trained and driven, none have been more special to him than old Oscar.
Purdon, Australasia’s most decorated harness horseman, talked of his bond with the veteran trotter.
“He’s as special to me as any horse I’ve had,” he said. “He’s just so unique, he’s got such a lovely temperament and he’s come through much.”
Named after a powerhouse Argentinian boxer of the 1960s, Oscar “Ringo” Bonavena who famously tested Muhammad Ali in an epic stoush, Oscar the trotter has had more than his share of battles to overcome.
Those battles started the day Oscar Bonavena was born prematurely, leaving him weak and with such crooked legs the vets said he’d never make a racehorse.
Oamaru horseperson Charlotte Purvis fed Oscar by bottle until he was strong enough to stand and drink from his mother.
Purvis’ father, John, bred and raced Oscar Bonavena for his debut win at Rangiora and a slashing and close second to the Purdon-trained Enhance Your Calm in a 2YO Sires’ Stake final a month later.
Purdon liked what he saw of the horse chasing him home and that’s when former Kiwi and now U.S.-based horseman Chris Ryder and Purdon’s late father, Roy, peeled-off some serious cash to buy Oscar Bonavena.
“I trialed the horse and he gave me a great feeling,” Purdon said. “It also helped that Phil [Williamson, trainer] had a very high opinion of him and he’s a terrific judge with trotters. It all gave me confidence he’d be a good buy.”
Oscar Bonavena then won eight of his first 10 starts for Purdon, along with a second, and emerged as the most exciting young trotter Down Under.
But it was at 3 he faced his second major battle when diagnosed with the rare condition of a cyst in his knee.
“When they first diagnosed the cyst, they said it was unlikely his legs would be able to stand-up to racing… we thought we’d done out money,” Purdon said.
“That’s six years ago and it’s amazing to think what he’s gone on to do since, although with lots of ups and downs along the way.
“Whether it’s a hock, stifle or knee, he’s gone from one problem to another and been a really challenging horse to train, but he’s taken less maintenance now than he ever has.”
Oscar Bonavena’s career was seriously in limbo after a failed trip to Australia in early 2020. He was sidelined for 14 months, but made it back to steadily build into a major trotting force again.
“We thought that might have been the end,” Purdon said. “Especially when the vets gave him a pretty dire diagnosis.”
At his eighth start on the comeback trail, he beat New Zealand’s best trotters in the Group 1 NZ Trotting free-for-all at Addington on Nov. 9, 2021.
It was his first start in a feature he has since contested another three times. Oscar Bonavena won the race three times (2021, ’23 and ’24) and finished fourth in 2022.
Last year, his battle-weary old legs carried him to an upset win over the then undisputed Down Under trotting king, Just Believe in the race.
On Nov. 14, he will return for his fifth crack at the New Zealand free-for-all.
Three days before that, Oscar Bonavena will also tackle New Zealand’s iconic trotting race, the Group 1 Dominion Trot (3,200 meters, standing start) for the fifth time. He won that in 2023.
Despite all his challenges, Oscar has raced 93 times for 36 wins, 15 seconds and 11 thirds.
He is sixth highest on the Down Under all-time earnings list for a trotter on $1,211,113. Lyell Creek ($2,256,724) and Just Believe ($1,929,253) are the leaders.
Given the earning potential in coming weeks, Oscar Bonavena could climb as high as third place, which is currently held by I Can Doosit ($1,377,319).
Despite that early nightmare trip to Australia which derailed his career, Purdon, who now trains the trotter in partnership with his son, Nathan, dared to try another Aussie raid earlier this year.
In a topsy turvy Brisbane Inter Dominion series in July, Oscar Bonavena produced the run of the race in the final, storming from an impossible position to snatch third place, smashing the clock with his closing splits.
“He’s still got all that speed of his, which is remarkable,” Purdon said.
“I said early, he’s as fast as most of the best pacers we’ve had at home. I know because we’ve worked with them.
“There was a day at home when we worked him with Ultimate Sniper and another top open-class pacer and Oscar just cruised up alongside them at top speed. It was quite remarkable. Ultimate Sniper won an Inter Dominion final.
“We thought long and hard about Brisbane, but, for some reason, he’s as sound now as he’s been for years so we decided to give it a crack. We were so proud of him and he’s come back home and gone on with it.”
Oscar Bonavena had a freshen-up after the Brisbane trip and has returned wins in both starts.
The latest, in last Sunday week’s Group 3 Banks Peninsula Cup on the grass track at Motukaraka in New Zealand’s South Island, was mesmerizing.
Despite coming off a 30-meter handicap with Purdon driving himself, old Oscar rounded up his rivals on the home bend and blasted away by about 30 meters.
It was his second win in the race, but four years after his first.
“That was a really special win,” Purdon said. “They gave him a great reception. That was the best part really. It was terrific for the horse.”
“He’s been a wonderful horse… If he is not better than ever, he is certainly as good as ever.”
Oscar Bonavena’s next run will be the Canterbury Park Cup (Oct. 17). He’ll then likely go to Ashburton (Oct. 27).
During the build-up, Oscar will continue building on his side project, his emerging stallion career.
“He served about 20 mares last year and already has 15 bookings this season,” Purdon said. “In true form for him, mixing breeding and racing hasn’t changed him at all. He’s still got his amazing temperament.”
He became a “dad” for the first time when a filly called “Ivy” was born early last month.
Purdon said the plan was for Oscar Bonavena to race on until the middle of next year then retire fully into his breeding barn days.
