The Trainer Frank Ritchie was renting stables off the Auckland Racing Club and training at Ellerslie when Peter Mitchell turned up with Bonecrusher.
Frank had a staff of three and a dozen or so horses and had just started to find his way. He'd had a good horse in Tango Kid which unfortunately broke down after showing promise and he had won a group race in Sydney with Sharman, who was sold and raced in the Sydney Cup but was beaten by a horse called Kingston Town. Bonecrusher first put a twinkle in Frank's eye when as a two-year-old he won the Eclipse Stakes at Ellerslie. Even though he won the race on protest Bonecrusher had shown enough in the race for Frank to approach his 3-year-old season with confidence. "In those early day's I learned a lot, and I had to learn quickly" says Frank. "The most important thing learned at that time was the importance of planning and programming to prepare for the races you wanted to win" These days Frank continues training in Takanini in partnership with his son Craig. "Bonecrusher gave me a once in a lifetime opportunity and I worked hard to make the most of that. As a result I have ended up with a life long job doing the work I will always love"
|