Ken Casellas | Photo: PACEPIX
Veteran trainer-reinsman Lindsay Harper has always had a keen eye for a horse, and he has no regrets about his decision to purchase four-year-old pacer OK Boomer about five months ago.
OK Boomer was a $4.10 chance when Harper drove him to an impressive all-the-way victory in the $19,000 Sky Racing Pace over 2130m at Gloucester Park on Friday night.
He sprinted fast with a final 400m section of 27.2sec. to keep the $2 favourite Gee Heza Sport at bay and beat the recent New Zealand import at his Australian debut by a half-length at a 1.56.7 rate.
“OK Boomer is a nice type of horse, and I bought him in Queensland,” said Harper. “Michael Boots owned OK Boomer, and I train four-year-olds Chivalry and Unlucky for him.
“He put OK Boomer and other horses up for sale when he was having a cull. I quite fancied OK Boomer, who was running fast times around the 1.52 mark at Albion Park.
“OK Boomer was up for sale for $80,000, which was a bit more than I wanted to spend. Mick Andreadis was the agent who was selling the horses for Michael Boots, and I told Michael that I would give him $40,000 if he was willing to go half with me.
“But he said he owned 280 horses and was trying to cull his stocks. I then told Mick Andreadis what I had offered for a half share of OK Boomer, and he then said he would go halves with me.”
OK Boomer now has had three starts for Harper and Andreadis for two wins and $16,215 in prizemoney. He has also raced in New Zealand for two wins from 11 starts, three times for one win in Victoria and 15 times in Queensland for four wins and seven placings.
He is by champion sire Bettors Delight and is the fourth foal out of Art Major mare Its Onlyforyou, who earned $365,459 from nine wins and 17 placings from 46 starts.
Its Onlyforyou shone as a two-year-old in New Zealand winning two Group 1 classics before travelling to Australia where her two starts at Melton in August 2012 produced a win in a semi-final of the Breeders Crown and a second placing to Glenferrie Shuffle in the final.
“OK Boomer had very good trainers in New Zealand, Victoria and Queensland, and you know that you are not going to improve much on them, if any,” said Harper. “But you know that the horse has been taught and looked after very well.
“When he arrived here, he had a hernia which required a minor operation, and after that he has progressed and improved, and I expect further improvement.
“It would be nice to get into the big races for four-year-olds. As an aside, I think that heats should be run for all big races, like the WA Pacing Cup, Golden Nugget, Derby and Oaks, with the first four in each heat qualifying for the final.”