Billy Boy becomes a man in Wellington Hurdle
Kevin Robertson • June 28th, 2025 4:52 PM • 3 min read
Race favourite Billy Boy, who was having just his third start over hurdles, produced one of the great staying performances to capture the Aztech Engineering Wellington Hurdle (3200m) at Trentham on Saturday.
The Jo Rathbone-prepared son of So You Think made a winning debut over fences at Woodville in September last year before returning to the hurdling caper at Trentham three weeks ago to take out the Manawatu Hurdles (2500m) at his second jumping start.
Punters installed the seven-year-old a solid $4 Fixed Odds favourite for Saturday’s contest and in the hands of Joshua Parker he delivered in spades, simply refusing to be beaten after leading throughout the gruelling two mile journey on a deep and testing Heavy 10 surface.
Parker had no hesitation in leading on his charge and he set up a steady speed that soon had the field stretched out and chasing as Billy Boy applied pressure with his faultless jumping.
Auckland visitor Mont Ventoux kept hard on his tail as runner by runner the rest of the field tired with only topweight and superstar hurdler Nedwin (72.5kgs) making any significant headway on the leader as he approached the home bend.
Out on his feet as his efforts told, Billy Boy refused to yield and eventually broke clear of Mont Ventoux over the second last fence to win by just on ten lengths from the gallant runner-up who held out a determined late charge by Nedwin.
Parker was all smiles as he celebrated the victory in remarkably clean silks while his rival jockeys looked as though they had been dragged around the track behind a tractor.
“I just can’t believe it but he is such a tough horse and he just tries so hard” Parker said.
“Jo (Rathbone) has done a super job with him as she has never rushed him and he gives you his all as you just saw.
“Billy was the one in charge out there, not me, although the plan was to go forward and dictate and hope a few stuffed up before we went again.
“He is a very fun horse, quite quirky and lazy at times at home but he has proven himself now and he just keeps doing it.”
Billy Boy was bought for just $5500 on Gavelhouse.com in 2021 by then owner Dennis Leamy, who sadly died at Palmerston North Hospital just six days before his horse’s Manawatu Hurdles win.
From 31 starts, Billy Boy has now recorded six wins and seven placings and has earned $132,990.
