Millionaire trotter now a proud dad

What a time of it Oscar Bonavena is having right now.

The millionaire trotter is a superstar on the track and literally a stud off it.

This month Oscar Bonavena became a dad for the first time, with his first foal, a filly called Ivy, born three weeks ago.

“She’s got a bit of attitude and a lovely temperament and perfect confirmation,” says her Matamata-based breeder and owner Rosemary Tims.

Now Oscar, a nine-year-old entire, has served Ivy’s dam Molly Belle again, just a day after his epic win in Sunday’s Group 3 the Elite Stride D G Jones Memorial Banks Peninsula Trotting Cup. It was his 36th career success.

“I just hope the run didn’t take too much out of him,” laughs Tims.

Molly Bell was a dual race winner before being retired in 2022.

Ivy is her second foal. Her first is a What The Hill colt called Peria Hillz Luck.

So why did Tims decide to send Molly Belle to Oscar Bonavena in the first place?

“We were working a two-year-old at Matamata last year and Oscar was there and I just liked the look of him and thought she (Molly Belle) should go to him,” says Tims.  

Now all she can hope for is that Ivy inherits some of Oscar’s ability.

“We will race her ourselves and if she’s half as good as her father we’d be more than happy.”

Over the past 25 or so years Tims estimates she and husband Brian have bred 17 foals. Many of them have had the “Luck” moniker, including 11-race winner Maddisonz Luck.

Another of her breed Rosemaryz Luck wasn’t a winner on the track but she’s been a great broodmare producing the likes of multiple Group 1 winner Majestuoso (27 wins) as well as Castana (10 wins) and Romeo Foxtrot (12 wins).

As for Oscar the regime of being a race horse and a stallion is clearly working – his big target being the $400,000 Renwick Farms Dominion Trot at Addington on Cup day (Tuesday, November 11) where he is now a pronounced $2.80 favourite.

By Dave Di Somma, Harness News Desk