Trainer pondering unbeaten 3YO’s next move

Tony Pike won’t be rushed into any decision on the immediate future of the well-related Bostonian.

The Cambridge trainer was pleasantly surprised by the three-year-old’s hard-fought victory, which kept his unbeaten record intact, in the Listed El Roca Sir Colin Meads Trophy at Hastings on Saturday.

“It was a good, tough effort and I thought he might have been a bit short on condition, he was coming in without a trial and he will improve a lot,” Pike said.

“There’s a lot of options so we’ll get him home and see how he pulls up and then work out a programme.”

The winner of both of his juvenile outings, the gelding also put a spring back into the step of his breeder-owner David Archer, whose Group Three winner Charles Road could earlier only beat one runner home when resuming at Ruakaka.

By Jimmy Choux out of a half-sister to Archer’s multiple Group One winner Mufhasa, Bostonian sat close to the pace and he rounded off strongly to nab I Got You on the post.

“I watched the replay and thought he had got the bob in,” Pike said. “He’s not a big, robust type of horse, but he’s genuine with a good will to win.”

Pike was also satisfied with the effort of Bostonian’s stablemate Sacred Rebel, who was unplaced in his season’s opener.

“He just needs to get on a good track and he’ll be fine,” he said.

Irish Flame ran home generously from the tail of the field to take third ahead of the previously unbeaten Getty, who wilted after setting the pace.