An Owners Dream – Phar Lap, Bart and the Bong Bong Cup

A horse purchased for $7000 from New Zealand will attempt to become only the third horse in modern history to win the famous Bong Bong Cup for a second time on Friday – and there’s a great story behind him. The Bong Bong picnic races were first run in 1886. Since then the Bong Bong Cup has played its part in the landscape of Australian racing.

In years past, the meeting was held on Caulfield Cup day and often attracted a greater attendance than the corresponding Sydney metropolitan meeting. The winner of the 1920 Bong Bong Cup, Purser, four years later went on to win the Caulfield Cup.

By the 1980s Bong Bong was the largest picnic race meeting in the world. At a time when race crowds were declining Bong Bong’s were increasing, reaching almost 35,000 in 1985. However poor behaviour on the part of some of this huge crowd resulted in the meeting being closed.

In 1992 the races were revived but under strict crowd control by limiting attendance to members and their guests only. Owner Sam Dickerson has had his share of racehorses but it’s wasn’t the Melbourne Cup, Cox Plate or Golden Slipper that he desired the most. He’s always “harboured a dream” to win the Bong Bong Cup.

“Some people have dreams that are achievable, others have lofty dreams,” Dickerson said.

“I have harboured this ridiculous dream of winning the Bong Bong Cup. I just want to win this cup.”

After a couple of failed attempts to secure a Bong Bong Cup winner, up steps Dave Mee, a Bloodstock Agent that sources a lot of Tried racehorses privately.

“I was talking to Dave who’d bought a few horses for us in the past and he said ‘I think I’ve got the horse for Bong Bong’,” Dickerson said.

“I had a look at him, wasn’t convinced but the race was getting closer so eventually I sucked the seed and said OK, bring him over."

“I couldn’t get my head around the fact that we were buying a horse from New Zealand for the Bong Bong Cup but I’m glad I eventually backed Dave’s judgement.”

So what got Tradtri over the line for his new owner? Dickerson explains his thinking behind his decision to back the agent’s sales pitch.

“When I thought about the Bong Bong Cup I channelled one of the greats and I said to myself what would Bart (Cummings) do?” Dickerson said.

“Once I got past the fact that Bart would never race at Bong Bong. The answers were simple.

“Who was the best racehorse ever? – Phar Lap, where was he born? – New Zealand, what colour was he? – chestnut, what did he look like? nice head, otherwise really ugly and lanky, skin and bones, how many letters in his name? seven."

“I needed a horse with all of this and Dave had found him – a Kiwi warrior called Tradtri.”

In 2014, Tradtri didn’t let Dickerson and his family down, winning the Bong Bong Cup. Since then the now nine-year-old has won at Canterbury and placed in the city on seven other occasions.

Dickerson had all but retired Tradtri after he finished unplaced at Canterbury back in August until Luke Price, the son of trainer Robert Price said, “why don’t try and win another Bong Bong Cup?”

After a month off, Tradtri went back into work and first-up produced a cracking fourth, beaten a length after being three and four wide the trip, in the Anniversary Cup (1300m) at Goulburn on October 30.

“It’s hard to believe but I’ve been riding him a fair bit in his work and he’s going as good as he’s ever gone,” Robert Price said.

“He probably should have nearly won first-up. He’s really going good.”

In Tradtri’s 30 Australian starts he’s earned his connections $103,620 with three wins and nine placings.

Now he’s back for another go at the Bong Bong Cup, ironically the main danger appears to be the James Cummings-trained Alfred The Great. Bart’s grandson won the race at his first attempt last year with Colour Of Money.

Billy Owen won aboard Tradtri in 2015 and he’ll be aboard the gelding again on Friday when he attempts to join Give Way (2004 & 2005) and Beaveroo (2011 & 2013) as multiple winners of the Bong Bong Cup.

Racenet – Clinton Payne Footnote: Tradtri ran 2nd in the 2016 running of the Bong Bong Cup. Beaten by 0.1 lengths!