Bullet aimed at high calibre features

Easygoing Cranbourne harness racing trainer-driver Scott Ewen is having the time of his life with his superstar pacer Bulletproof Boy (Art Official)—and bigger things could be just around the corner.

“He’s just a freak and has undoubtedly put us on the map. He gives his best week in, week out and I’d love to think that one day I might be lucky and get another one just like him,” Ewen said.

“This season he’s had just the three wins, but with a heap of placings he’s earnt nearly $110,000,” he said.

“His confidence is up at the moment. He’s a funny fella and gets upset when luck isn’t with us, and he doesn’t do any good at the races.”

Bulletproof Boy was driven a treat by Ewen on Saturday night (Nov 12) to score a narrow win in the Melton City Council Sprint—his seventh at TABcorp Park Melton.

“We’ve got the InterDominion series coming up soon. I’ve never had a runner in it before so that will be exciting,” he said.

“And before getting ‘Bullet’ I’d never won a Group Two or Three race. Now my ultimate aim is for a Group One. It’s always in my sight so I’m thinking we may have a go at the Newcastle Mile and Miracle Mile next year.”

The Ewen family left South Australia over three years ago and are based at the Cranbourne Harness Racing Training Centre.

“We’ve enjoyed it over here. Obviously, the racing is harder, but with all the meetings that are held each week, you learn to pick out the most suitable races you can duck off to,” Ewen said.

“There’s eight in work with three out in the paddock. We keep it at that number and just shuffle them around. Our training routine is very simple. They get jogged for about 20 minutes and get fast worked once if they’re racing Saturday to Saturday.

“Lance Justice taught me to do it that way years ago. Sometimes the fastwork session may be a hopple-up or a gallop and importantly, they have a few hours every day in the paddock.”

Bulletproof Boy, with 31 wins and 32 placings for $362,000, was bred by Charles Okmasich. “Bullet” has won 11 of these in Victoria, including the TAB Smoken Up Sprint and the All In One Mercury 80 Final.

“He is out of My Riviera Girl, who won 21 races with half of these coming after sitting in the breeze. She was a great racehorse,” Ewen said.

Ewen races Bulletproof Boy along with eight others, who live far and wide in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland—Murray Clayton, Michael Duck, Tim Sander and Michelle Roberts, David and Ree Grenfell, and Phil and Michelle Sander.

“It’s sometimes funny how things work out with horses. As a baby, ‘Bullet’ was a real squib, while I had another one at the same time that looked the goods. In both cases, it turned out quite the opposite,” Ewen said.

“But I’m hopeful that an Art Major two-year-old that we have now might just be our next ‘Bullet’. He’s a lovely type, but I tipped him out as he kept getting growing pains.”

by Terry Gange, for Harnesslink