by Jordyn Bublitz
In-form trotting mare Boss Jo added another strong performance to her record at Cambridge Raceway last night, taking out the Gavelhouse.com Silk Rd Northern Trotting Mares Ht. 1 Mobile Trot.
The six-year-old daughter of Sebastian K has now won two of her last four starts and continues to build on her consistent vein of form.
Monika Ranger guided the mare to victory, settling patiently 5-back the pegs and moving forward as horses came off the fence in the final lap. Rounding the home bend the pair found their way to clear air and let down with a powerful sprint to win the race by a 1 ¼ length margin.
Trainer Jason Teaz said the team felt she was a strong chance going into the race.
“At times last night we were all a little bit nervous,” Teaz said. “I thought Monika showed a lot of patience and it paid off for her. She’s got a horse there that possesses a lot of speed so she can sort of make her way out of trouble which she’s had to do a couple of times. Last night when they went so hard early it just played into her hands.”
While Teaz holds the trainer’s licence, he’s quick to point out that much of the credit for Boss Jo’s progress belongs to her owner and his stable foreman, Jan Gillies.
“I thought Jan might’ve spent too much when she bought her but as it’s turned out it’s been an amazing buy for her. She does all of the work with her; they’re a great little team and Jan is certainly in love with her.”
Boss Jo has been a bit of a traveler during her career. She originally raced in the South Island before spending time with Derek Balle in Pukekohe. She was later purchased off Gavelhouse by Gillies and transferred to Teaz’s Ohaupo stable.
“Jan is a really dedicated person, and the horse has really responded to her,” Teaz explained. “To be fair she’s also taken a liking to the laid-back lifestyle here, she’s paddock trained and she’s just a really happy horse at the moment.”
Boss Jo will now head toward the Silk Road Series Final in two weeks — a $20,000 race with the added bonus of being penalty-free.
“It’s a $20,000 race,” said Teaz, “and the prospect of it being penalty free is even better. After that the world is Jan’s oyster, she could easily sell but the way she loves that horse I’d say she’ll keep a hold of her for now.”