One can only wonder if he would of been a better horse and won a Group 1 or two if he was trained better in his early days...I remember when he was put in anything and everything over a range of distances, even up to 2400m.

Australian racing is only good up to 1400m in terms of world standards when it comes to depth/quality in numbers

110% correct.

Wish I had a paddock full of ones like him.

I'm with Ted

The Stradbroke is an ideal race, but does he perform as good the Sydney way?

If he showed up and performed at his best he is right in that race!

Remember, it might take intelligence to be smart , but it takes experience to be wise

So Si Bon has turned the corner as a gelding

So Si Bom with Rob Heathcote�s strapper Jemma Woodhouse at Eagle Farm. Picture: Brad Fleet

By Trenton Akers
02:43pm � 28 May 2021

He�s the reformed bad boy who is chasing his shot at glory and his first Group 1 on Saturday.

So Si Bon was once notorious for biting his rivals and throwing in the towel when the going got tough, but his co-trainer Ben Hayes says he has emphatically shaken the �non-winner� tag following a gelding operation which has seen him turn into a rock-solid campaigner.

The seven-year-old lines up in the Group 1 Kingsford-Smith Cup (1300m) on Saturday, with connections having an eye towards the Stradbroke Handicap (1400m) in a fortnight�s time, but Hayes said he can fire in a wide-open race while fresh.

�We are right back in trip at 1300m but he has sprinted well fresh before and whatever he does on Saturday we think he will improve into the Stradbroke,� he said.

Accused of biting his rivals earlier in his career, Hayes said So Si Bon has turned into a stable favourite of late and his results have backed it up on the track too.

�It is funny, he is the most straightforward horse to train,� he said.

�Since he has been gelded, his attitude has changed and he has a lovely temperament � he is one of Lindsay Park�s favourites because everyone loves him and his unique look.

�Since he has been gelded, his record is exceptional. Out of his last six runs, he has won three races so he has gotten rid of the non-winner tag that he had for a while.

�He lost his way as a colt, he got naughty and a bit sour. The gelding took the testosterone out of him and he learned to relax. He really enjoys being in work, he responds to it and thrives off it.�

Stabled with Rob Heathcote at Eagle Farm, So Si Bon has settled into Brisbane well and Hayes said the 64-start veteran will stay in Queensland in the lead-up to the Stradbroke.

�We are really happy with him, his win last start was excellent and we have focused on freshening him up for this and he seems to have responded well to it,� he said.

�(Assistant Trainer) Gary Fennessy is looking after him and the reports are he has travelled down beautifully.�

reductio ad absurdum

^ lol

lucky horse

If they ride him forward like last time he is right in this!

Remember, it might take intelligence to be smart , but it takes experience to be wise

Think he was ridden too close today. Realise he led well last time but he was dictating terms there.

He�s a terrific horse & I hope he puts egg on my face in the Stradbroke Hcp today.

But realistically I can�t see him figuring in the race at all.

He�s much more adept at 1600m, so I�d have thought he�d be a much better prospect in the Wayne Wilson Stks.

Anyway, good luck today SSB.

going from a Good 3 to a Heavy 10 is a query (but you could say that about all of them just about)

Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing

one to back up next week in the Ballarat Cup perhaps?

Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing

As a relevant aside, it'll be interesting to see if they step King Magnus up to the 2000m or send him to the paddock.

The old boy is out to defend his Eclipse Stakes title today, anyone else give him a shot?

Sister Dot wrote:

They made the right call gelding him. Not sure if he still is, but he had or has the title of SYT�s highest money earner.

You�re right Sister Dot he was SYT�s highest prize money earner with $1.9m but after this past spring that title is now with Think It Over who has roared past him with $4.2m in earnings.