3 minute read
James Ponsonby was at the 2021 Inglis Ready2Race sale in Sydney when an unraced two-year-old by international star Choisir took his eye.
He bought him for $32,500 on the expectation that he was going to take a bit of time.
"I just didn't think it was going to take this long," the Hawkesbury trainer joked following Sonny Fella's victory at big odds at Gosford yesterday.
It was the now four-year-old gelding's second success only, but the sole surprise to Ponsonby was that he went out as the $31 rank outsider of the field in the Class 1 Handicap (1600m).
"I know it looked a stronger race than his last start second to Gardenzio (who won again last Thursday) at Wyong last month, but Andrew Gibbons got off him that day and said he had improvement in him as that was his first run since early October," Ponsonby said.
"I didn't think he was entitled to be the outsider of the field, especially as Gosford is his favorite track.
"He handles getting around the corners there really well."
It took Sonny Fella 14 starts to break through in a Maiden Plate over yesterday's distance at Gosford in July last year.
"Sonny Fella was a really nice horse when I saw him at The Ready2Race sale," Ponsonby said.
"He was the only horse I bought at that sale in my second season of training since switching from the standardbreds.
"Sonny Fella is showing maturity now, and hopefully that is a good sign for the future."
Understandably, given the gelding's penchant for the Gosford circuit, Ponsonby is keen to take him back there next month.
"There is a Benchmark 72 Handicap (1600m) for three and four-year-olds there on April 10 at a midweek city meeting," he said.
Sonny Fella was Ponsonby's 11th winner of the season, and his first since a memorable first ever trifecta when Semper Fortis scored at Orange in late December, with numerous placings sandwiched in between.
Ponsonby has had to abandon plans to have a crack at the jumps season in Victoria with Will To Excel, who ran third to his stablemate in that Orange race.
"He was tender behind after his last run at the Sapphire Coast in early February, and we discovered he had pulled a hamstring," he explained.
"So he is in the paddock recovering, and we'll have to wait until next year to try him over the jumps in Victoria.
"We have some jumps here at Hawkesbury for training purposes, and he has handled them okay."
. Fellow Hawkesbury trainers Brad Widdup and Edward Cummings haven't given up hope of qualifying Ausbred Flirt and Strait Acer respectively for the $1m Provincial-Midway Championships Final (1400m) at Royal Randwick on April 13.
Widdup withdrew Ausbred Flirt from yesterday's Group 1 Coolmore Classic (1500m) at Rosehill Gardens with a vet certificate, but is optimistic she will be okay to tackle one of the latter Qualifiers.
Stablemate Short Shorts made the Final by winning her home track Qualifier on March 9, and will contest Saturday's Group 3 Birthday Card Stakes (1200m) against her own sex at Rosehill.
Widdup's Tintookie, who is in the best form of her career, will also be entered for the Birthday Card as well as Saturday's $1m Group 1 The Galaxy (1100m).
Cummings plans to trial Group 1 placegetter Strait Acer at Rosehill in the morning before pressing ahead with a Provincial-Midway Championships campaign.
Tommy Berry will ride the talented four-year-old in a 1030m Open heat, and Cummings is looking to run him in either the 1350m Wyong Qualifier on March 30 or Newcastle Wild Card (1400m) on April 3.
Strait Acer had a freshen up on the water walker after finishing sixth when favorite in the opening Kembla Grange Qualifier (1400m) on February 29.
He was also favorite for the Final leading into that race, but has subsequently eased to be a $9 chance with TAB.com.au.
