Team Bond is Mad on TAB Eureka raid
EXCITING Western Australian pacer Mad Monday has emerged as the wildcard contender for the world’s richest pacing race, the $1.5 million TAB Eureka at Menangle on November 21.
The four-year-old’s sparkling first-up win in strong company at Gloucester Park last Friday night prompted co-trainers Greg and Skye Bond to look seriously as crossing the country to chase the TAB Eureka.
“It was Skye’s idea to be honest,” Greg Bond said. “We’ve got a really good opinion of the horse and he’s Australian-bred and Eureka eligible, so we’d love to have a crack at it.
“On his work at home and what he did the other night, he’s right up with the best four-year-olds over here and we think he’ll measure up anywhere.”
Mad Monday’s win was his 11th from just 27 starts and propelled him into equal second favourite for WA’s biggest four-year-old race, the Group 1 Golden Nugget on November 6.
“That timing works perfectly. It’s 15 days before the TAB Eureka and getting flights from Perth to Melbourne isn’t difficult. We could go over a week before and have plenty of time to settle in at Luke’s (McCarthy) place,” Bond said.
“We’re serious about it, but obviously we need one of the slot owners to feel the same way.
“I’d urge them to have a look at how easily he did that and the time he ran last Friday night.
“They’ll get an even better guide this week. He’ll back up against the other two big guns of the Nugget, Runkle Crunch and Cyclone Jordy, in the ($125,000) 4YO Classic.
“Then it’s two weeks into the Nugget itself.
“We’re certainly open to chatting with any of the slot owners still looking for the right horse.”
Never Ending is the only WA-trained horse to have contested the TAB Eureka, finishing eighth at a $3.20 favourite for trainer Justin Prentice in 2024.
Team Bond is no stranger to big Menangle races, having gone close to winning the 2024 Inter Dominion final when stable star Minstrel finished a close and brave second to Don Hugo.
“If we got a slot with Mad Monday, I see the Len Smith Mile is on the same night, so we’d take one of best open-class horses across for that as well,” Greg Bond said,
“It would mean missing the WA Cup (December 11) for whoever we took, but we’ve got five or six genuine chances for that race, so it would work well.”
Bond said Minstrel was nearing a racetrack return as he prepares to try and win a third successive WA Pacing Cup.
“He’s just about ready to go again, the old boy. He’s all sound and happy and we’ll give him one, maybe two lead-up runs before the big one,” he said.
“We’ve been incredibly lucky to have him, especially coming back year after year in all the big races like he has.
“He’s deep in time-on of the last quarter in footy terms, but all the signs are still great at home.”
Mad Monday winning last Friday night - Photo: Pacepix