Tasmanian horseman Wayne Yole knew deep down he had a natural trotter on his hands in pacing-bred youngster Bullapark Beno, but the family team tried everything possible to convince him to be a pacer.
"We left no stone unturned-he wasn't any value to us as a square gaiter over here because we don't cater for two-year-old trotters in Tassie," Wayne said.
"Of course, his breeding said he should pace, but he didn't know that, and he wouldn't have paced too many steps, if any, in his life!" he said.
But Bullapark Beno knew what he was born to do, and with a last-start win and an encouraging third from just four outings, appears to have a bright future in Victorian square gaiting ranks.
Prepared at Romsey by astute horseman Chris Svanosio, he didn't put a foot wrong with an all-the-way win at Bendigo recently when handled by in-form driver Michelle Phillips.
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Bullapark Beno (Changeover-Jomeka (Village Jasper) was purchased by Yole at last year's Adelaide yearling sales for $5000 from breeder Danielle Helbers.
Wayne said he picked the horse out of the catalogue, due in no small measure to the sensational racing credentials of his pacing sire Changeover. Changeover, by In The Pocket, won 29 races including such G1s as the NZ Derby, Noel Taylor Mile, NZ Cup and Len Smith Mile. He finished with over $2M in stakes and now stands at Burwood Stud, Qld.
Wayne said he sent Bullapark Beno to Hamilton to be handled and broken-in by father-and-son team, Jim and Rod Barker.
"I lived at Hamilton for years before shifting over to Tasmania nearly five years ago. They are not only personal friends of ours, but excellent breakers and I regard them as the best in the business," Wayne said.
"I can clearly remember the day that Rod rang me to say I had a trotter. I sort of argued with him, saying that's not right, I'd definitely bought a pacer!" he laughed.
"I'm not a big fan of trotters and have never had one before. When I was with the Barker team, I did drive a couple-but it wasn't very often. So in the end I told Rod to send him over to us."
Wayne is the father of the leading Tasmanian family team Ben, Mark and Tim, and despite their combined expertise and "trying everything", Bullapark Beno only wanted to trot.
"Unfortunately, that was really obvious from day one. But I don't know how many times we threw hopples on him trying to convince him!" Wayne said.
"It just wasn't happening, though and because he was eligible for a VicBred bonus I decided to give him his chance with trotting. I rang Chris because I've always liked him as a trainer," he said.
Chris Svanosio (Courtesy Cobram HRC)
"I actually had Bullapark Beno advertised for sale before his win. I got a few nibbles, but they were a bit short of what I wanted. I've decided to leave him on the market though, because his future really isn't over here in Tassie."
Wayne said the name Bullapark Beno came from his grandmother's name Ellen Bulla combined with one of his son's names, Ben.
"My property is named Bullapark. My grandmother was a fantastic lady and was from the Stolen Generation era. Obviously Beno is the nickname that Ben has picked up around the stables," he said.
Wayne is getting back to good health after a stable accident two years ago put him in hospital for nine months.
"It's been slow, and I've still got a bit of a limp, but I was lucky. A horse tipped me out and I landed on my back, squashing all the nerves onto my spinal cord. I was told I'd never walk again," he said.
"I was so determined when I was confined to a wheelchair-and three months after the accident I walked back into the hospital.
"I've had three back operations, and when I was in hospital for one of them, I got Golden Staph and was given about half an hour to live. I was flown from Launceston to Hobart hospital and pulled through."
Wayne said despite the setbacks, life in Tasmania was "just great."
"I do as much as I can to help the boys with the horses. The stable continues to tick over nicely."
For the record, Bullapark Beno is not Changeover's first square-gaiting winner – five year old mare Heart of Change (Changeover – Bravest of Hearts (Big Band Sound) claimed that honor in August of last year. Heart of Change was a multiple race winning pacer before being converted to trotting after almost 12 months on the sidelines.
Terry Gange
NewsAlert PR Mildura