Boomnova to give Munce a guide to winter prospects at Eagle Farm

By Glenn Davis

Stakes winner Boomnova is already a valuable broodmare proposition but for trainer Chris Munce she still has a lot of unfinished business ahead of a future stud career.

A daughter of Spirit Of Boom, Boomnova will give Munce a better guide to her Queensland winter carnival prospects when she steps out for her second start this campaign in the Open Handicap over 1000 metres at Eagle Farm on Saturday.

Boomnova returned to the racetrack with a game fourth to the Kris Lees-trained The Bopper in a 1000 metre Benchmark race at Eagle Farm on February 18.

The Bopper subsequently finished a brave fifth to the Graeme Begg-trained Passive Aggressive in the Group 2 Challenge Stakes at Randwick last Saturday.

“She never runs well first up, but she was beaten by The Bopper, who ran a great race in the Challenge Stakes in Sydney last Saturday,” Munce said.

“She likes Eagle Farm and the 1000 metre trip, but she still has a long way to go.

“No plans are set in stone for her for the winter just yet until I see how she goes this Saturday and how her form stacks up a bit later.

“She’s a valuable broodmare but there’s no plans for her to go to stud yet.”

Boomnova – a Samantha Collett mount - won four straight races last year, culminating in her first stakes victory in the Lightning Handicap over 1000 metres at Eagle Farm last June. 

The Lightning victory earned her a Sydney trip for the Group 3 Toy Show Quality over 1100 metres at Randwick last August, where she put up a brave performance to finish fourth, finishing less than three lengths from Godolphin’s Zapateo.

She was at the end of a long campaign when she subsequently finished eighth in the Listed Mona Lisa at Wyong in September.

Meanwhile, Munce also hopes to get a better winter carnival guide with talented stayer Southern Stock and three-year-old Brookhaven on Saturday. 

Southern Stock lines up for his third start this campaign in the Benchmark 78 Handicap over 1830 metres while Brookhaven takes on his own age in the QTIS Three-Year-Old Handicap over 1400 metres.

Munce also saddles up Hot Spring Gold who resumes in the QTIS Class 6 Plate.

The former jockey felt Southern Stock produced the best run of his career when fifth in last year’s Group 1 Queensland Derby while Brookhaven was unlucky not to win her last start at the Sunshine Coast on February 26.

“Southern Stock has only had two runs back this campaign and is getting up to more suitable distances while Brookhaven was unlucky not to win last time,” Munce said.

“Brookhaven will be better suited in the wet, but it doesn’t look like we’ll get any rain.

“Southern Stock still needs a bit more time to get race fit and I’ll be looking at some of the staying races with him during the winter while Hot Spring Gold normally takes a run or two.”