Boomtown Boss goes bang in Aurie’s Star thriller
Image: Boomtown Boss (Credit: Racing Photos)
Boomtown Boss (Spirit Of Boom) secured his second stakes victory and became the first black-type winner of the new Australian racing season with a determined performance in Saturday’s A$200,000 Aurie’s Star Handicap (Gr 3, 1200m) at Flemington.
Trainer Tony Gollan sent the Queensland gelding south to Ciaron Maher’s Cranbourne stable almost a month before the race, believing Flemington’s spacious straight course would suit the lightly raced five-year-old.
The start was delayed when leading contender War Machine (Harry Angel) broke through the barriers and completed the course riderless before being withdrawn. Neither War Machine nor jockey Blake Shinn were injured, although co-trainer Ben Hayes later reported that the gelding appeared to have sustained a minor knock to his head. The Harry Angel (Dark Angel) six-year-old will have to jump out to the satisfaction of stewards before racing again.
War Machine’s stablemate Ndola (Justify), a last-start winner of the Santa Ana Lane Sprint Series Final (Listed, 1200m), subsequently started favourite in the reduced eight horse field and settled behind the speed set by Mark Zahra on Arkansaw Kid (Harry Angel) with Star Patrol (Starspangledbanner) on his outside.
After jumping from barrier two, Daniel Moor guided Boomtown Boss across to follow Arkansaw Kid up the centre of the track, while Royal Insignia (Written Tycoon) secured cover behind Ndola.
Arkansaw Kid continued to travel strongly approaching the 400-metre mark as Ndola and Star Patrol came under pressure. Moor angled Boomtown Boss towards the inside and the gelding accelerated to challenge the leader.
Royal Insignia secured a run between the pair under Luke Cartwright and mounted a late challenge, but Boomtown Boss fought on strongly to prevail in a thriller.
The result was subject to a protest from Royal Insignia’s connections after Moor was found to have used his whip more times than permitted before the 100-metre mark. Stewards dismissed the objection but suspended Moor for ten meetings and fined him $3500. Moor will be eligible to ride again on August 18.
Boomtown Boss recorded the second-fastest winning time in the history of the Aurie’s Star and improved his record to six wins and six placings from 21 starts with the $120,000 first prize taking his earnings over the million dollar mark.
The victory provided Gollan with his second success in the race, having won the 2011 renewal with Temple Of Boom (Piccolo), a half-brother to Boomtown Boss’ sire Spirit Of Boom (Sequalo).
“He’s a very immature horse, but he loves big tracks and a bit of room, and I felt for a little while he’d make a nice straight horse,” Gollan said.
“His winter preparation was just going nowhere. I was zigging when I should have been zagging, everything was going wrong, and I knew this race was on the cards.
“We backed off him and sent him down to Ciaron, Jack and the team at Cranbourne. He had been down here for about a month to settle in. I thought the trip away and straight racing would suit him.
“I could see how well he was travelling halfway through the race. I know he has a good finish and a good turn of foot.
“He looks like a big, awkward galloper, but he has a motor.”
Gollan had initially planned to only target the Aurie’s Star during Boomtown Boss’ Melbourne raid, but the Bobby Lewis Quality (Gr 2, 1200m) at Flemington may now enter calculations.
“I’ll have to think about whether we look at the Bobby Lewis in a month,” he said. “He’s a Magic Millions horse, so I’ve got the end of the year to consider, but when you’re winning straight races like that, it gives you good food for thought.”
Moor, who relocated from Melbourne to Queensland last spring, praised Boomtown Boss’ preparation.
“He came here a little unknown down the straight,” Moor said. “He wandered around and changed legs a lot, but when you ride a Tony Gollan horse, you know they will be prepared to the minute.”
Purchased by Gollan Racing and John Foote Bloodstock for $180,000 from Eureka Stud’s draft at the 2023 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale, Boomtown Boss is out of the three-time-winning Red Dazzler (Red Ransom) mare Boomalicious. He is the third winner from four to race from the mare with her first two foals, also by Spirit of Boom, Boomtown Lass and Tick Tock Boom both picking up black type. Boomalicious’ first foal, Boomtown Lass was second in no fewer than four stakes races for trainer Chris Anderson and her second foal Tick Tock Boom was second in a Ken Russell S. (Gr.3 1200m) for David Vandyke before finishing midfield behind Rothfire (Rothesay) in the 2020 JJ Atkin’s (Gr.11400m).
Her third foal by Vancouver (Medaglia D’oro) is unplaced and she returned to Spirit of Boom in her fourth season resulting in Boomtown Boss. Her fifth foal is another full brother called Boomtown Fox (Spirit of Boom) purchased by Chris Anderson for $200,00 at the 2025 Magic Millions Gold Coast Yearling Sale.
Boomtown Boss is the 32nd stakes winner by Eureka Stud’s Spirit Of Boom, who died at the age of 18 in May, earlier this year. Crowned Queensland’s leading sire on four occasions, Spirit of Boom has proven an elite sire of winners with over 72% winner to runners and finished just outside the top ten General Sires by winners in the season just completed. With 90 recorded foals born in his crop for the 2027 yearlings sales, which includes another full sister to Boomtown Boss, and having covered over 130 mares in his last season, there is certain to be many more winners to come.