Bulletproof Boy all set for Cranbourne return

Cranbourne’s pin-up model Bulletproof Boy (Art Official) is fighting fit and ready to tackle Saturday night’s Group 2 Decron Cranbourne Gold Cup after being a late scratching for last week’s Sportsbet A.G Hunter Cup.

The harness racing 10-year-old won the Bendigo and Ballarat Cup booking his spot in the $250,000 Grand Circuit classic before being ruled out on Saturday morning.

“On Friday I got him out and we don’t know where he did it, but he had a cut on his hock and of course being on his hock – it blew his hock up pretty severely,” trainer Scott Ewen said.

“We worked on it all of Friday and Saturday and iced it and got it down a bit, but come Saturday morning – the swelling had gone down to his tendon.

“We thought it would be better to scratch him – I worked him and he wasn’t lame at all and you can’t go to the races especially when you have got a niggly injury.”

The gelding out of My Riviera Girl has been ‘good as gold’ since but Ewen is keeping tabs on the laceration.

“He has gone fine since, but we are still monitoring it. I worked him today and he worked the house down – as he does,” Ewen said.

“The leg goes down every day and we have been treating it – there is a mark on his hock but there is no swelling.”

“He has pulled through it good and he is ready to go on Saturday.”

A sticky draw (eight) and Queensland Superstar Leap To Fame in prime position – has made the task a little bit tougher.

“They haven’t given me a good draw,” Ewen joked. “There is a lot of speed there and Leap To Fame got crossed by Tact Mcleod last week – so there is a chance Mach Dan could cross him.

A hometown cup would be the icing on the cake to an incredible start to 2025.

“It would be great to win and he (Bulletproof Boy) is the flagship horse over here – if he could win the Cranbourne Cup it would be pretty special.”

The gelding will be piloted by James Herbertson while Leap To Fame has drawn two for the $100,000 event.

The Group 1 Blue Hills Rise Cranbourne Trotters Cup is the squaregaiting feature on the card with last year’s victor Mufasa Metro for John Justice outside the main draw.

New Zealand star Oscar Bonavena has drawn 11 and will likely be the hot favourite.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Lachlan Mitchell, for Harness Racing Victoria