Champion jockey Opie Bosson thanked an unlikely personal trainer for saving his career after he burst back into the Group 1 winner's circle with Noverre in the 2000 Guineas at Riccarton yesterday.
Bosson, who has barely ridden this season after being trapped at home on the wrong side of the Auckland region Covid boundary, looked like he had never missed a beat with his patient come-from-last win.
An $800,000 yearling purchase by Te Akau's David Ellis, Noverre paid for himself and more in just a few ticks over a minute and a half yesterday, the Guineas about the only race in New Zealand that can guarantee a stallion career.
The aim will now be to earn more black type, with anything resembling that in Australia a game-changer.
It was a consummate training performance by Jamie Richards, as Noverre didn't really know how to use his motor last season, so he required patience and the daring to send him to the South Island early, where stable foreman Sam Bergerson has played a huge role in helping Richards get him to a peak.