FOR the second consecutive year the Mosstrooper Steeplechase was the undoing of champion jumper Bashboy.
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The 11-year-old was pulled out of the race for the second-straight year as Kiwi raider Sea King scored a gutsy victory.
Early reports after the race suggested Bashboy had pulled up well from the run and his winter campaign would continue.
The race was expected to be a match race between Bashboy and the in-form Thubiaan, but Sea King spoiled the party.
Ridden by Richard Cully, Sea King outstayed a gallant Valediction to win by two lengths, with King Triton in third place.
Sea King had only been in the care of trainer Patrick Payne for one week leading into the Mosstrooper.
“All the credit has to go to (New Zealand trainer) Kevin Myers he only came to my place a week ago,” Payne said.
“He’s just a typical big, skinny Kiwi horse but he’s tough and he jumped perfectly and he’s got a great engine.
“Normally, he needs wet ground to bring him in to it so he did a great job on top of the ground to win and credit has to go to Richie Cully who rode an absolutely perfect race on him.”
Sea King is now likely to run in the Crisp Steeplechase at Warrnambool and then the Grand National Steeplechase at Ballarat.
Meanwhile, the decision to knock back a $100,000 offer for smart galloper Pure Karma looks set to pay dividends for connections and trainer Saab Hasan.
Pure Karma won on debut at Geelong and connections fielded a $100,000 offer.
Owner Josh Bloom didn’t want to sell, but Hasan did.
Bloom won the argument and Pure Karma repaid the faith by making it two wins from two starts in Sunday’s heat of the Slickpix Silver Bowl Series.
Ridden by Steven Arnold, Pure Karma finished powerfully down the outside of the track to win in a photo finish from Lordfontein and Pemberley.
“This horse has lots of ability, but he’s not ready mentally yet,’’ Hasan said.
“He’s extremely difficult to ride… the sky is the limit if he can put it all together.”
Arnold echoed Hasan’s thoughts.
“He’s immature, but he can gallop,’’ Arnold said.
“He did a big job to pick up and go around the field. He sustained a good gallop and put his head out to win.”
Pure Karma will now head to the final of the Silver Bowl Series at Flemington on July 11.
Lordfontein, trained at Kyneton by George Osborne, looks set to join Pure Karma at Flemington.
Lordfontein is out of former Bendigo-trained mare Special Grange.
