October
MarchWires crossed
Bill Hecker (7/3) has got the wrong horse. Bonfield pricked the bubble of the mighty Surround in the 1977 Futurity. Surround had won 10 straight, including the Cox Plate in 1976 (as a three-year-old filly).
The fabulous mare Dual Choice had actually finished racing in the autumn of 1972. Bonfield was foaled the following spring.
“Julie” had 28 starts for 16 wins. Her longest winning sequence was four and her nemesis was the superlative colt Baguette. She still managed to thrash the colts in the Caulfield Guineas (as did Surround in her year) and among other great wins she recorded successive Oakleigh Plate victories (1971, ’72).
The second of those wins was one of her greatest — she was 6/4 favourite with 59.5kg, missed the start, rounded the field up and won running away. I was there — I will never forget Bill Collins declaring after the jump “... and Dual Choice is last!” and the incredible collective groan from the crowd.
Chum Creek (Vic)