Boom Down Bound For Sydney Cup

WA excitement-machine Boom Down is being set for next month's $100,000 to-the-winner Sydney Cup at Wentworth Park after claiming a ninth consecutive Cannington victory on Saturday night.

Purchased for a cool $39,000 after finishing second to Dyna Chancer in the Group 3 Speed Star (715m) at Sandown in May, the son of Magic Sprite and Lochinvar Vogue has been an absolute revelation since making his way to Enzo and Graham Crudeli's WA kennels, winning nine of his 13 appearances, including his last eight on end at Cannington.

"He's proving to be a cheap buy," said a delighted Graham Crudeli.

"There's not much of him, he's only 28-29 kilos but watching him race you wouldn't know it … he's growing in confidence every start and responding to what we're doing with him. I think there's still more (improvement) left in him as well to be honest. He's just hitting his best."

WATCH: Boom Down's ninth straight Cannington win on Saturday night

Winner at 16 of his 46 career starts, with prize money now north of $110,000, Boom Down's rise to staying stardom has been anything but conventional, coming from rather humble beginnings.

Breaking-in the slowest of a ‘hot' Magic Sprite x Lochinvar Vogue litter which has gone on to win over 100 races, Boom Down was moved on for next to nothing by his breeder Kevin Gordon, with NSW trainer Steve Clearly enjoying reasonable success with the discard early days.

After five NSW wins early doors for Clearly – including a sharp 42.23 Wentworth Park 720 metre success – Boom Down was shipped down to Victorian trainer Steve White where he proved competitive on the group racing scene, including a close up third to Blue Moon Rising in the Group 1 Super Stayers Final at The Meadows.

But it's in Western Australia that the crowd-pleasing stayer has really found a home, stringing together eight Cannington wins on end, each in breathtaking fashion.

"It's funny how we came to buy him actually … it was through Facebook," explained Crudeli.

"I mentioned to a few of my owners in the Selling Dreams syndicate that it would be handy to get hold of a decent stayer with the prize money the way it is in WA. They put a Facebook post up to see if there was any interest and Boom Down's name popped up as a possibility. I priced him at around $30k – but the syndicate ended up getting him for $39,000, I'm glad they did."

If Crudeli needed any further convincing that his star stayer was on track for a trip to Sydney for the staying feature he got it in spades at Cannington on Saturday night with a powerhouse 41.85 victory, giving Group 1 National Distance hero Reidy's Runner a start and a four-length beating.

"There's no doubt the better the opposition the better he goes – he thrives on competition," Crudeli explained.

"I've seen a real change and maturity in the dog from his first few starts with us. At the start he was waiting for runs to come and now he's just making them himself.

"I'm keen to go to Sydney with him – he's raced well at Wentworth Park before so it will be a good test to see where he's at."

Heats of the $100,000 to-the-winner Sydney Cup are programmed for Friday, October, 11 with the final set for Friday, October 18, coinciding with the running of the TAB Million Dollar Chase.

The series puts the the WA star on a collision course with Australia's number one stayer Tornado Tears, a challenge Crudeli welcomes.

"I wouldn't have wanted to take him on 12 months ago but I'd be happy to now," Crudeli said.

"I reckon ‘Boom' would be the only stayer at the moment capable of beating Tornado Tears in a match race. If he does well in Sydney, hopefully he gets a spot in the (Group 1) Stayers Topgun at The Meadows in November … after that there's some nice races here for him in WA over the Summer."

Pics: courtesy Mulder Photography