Owners will have plenty of fun with Bouncer, says Prebble

Brett Prebble was happy to get 'the crumbs' from Douglas Whyte as the Caspar Fownes-trained Bouncer put up another impressive effort to three wins on end in the Victoria Racing Club Trophy (1,600m), but it wasn't as easy as the results will show.

The four-year-old scored smartly by more than a length on the line, but there was a point in the straight where supporters of the gelding at HK$27 for every HK$10 would have happily taken a refund instead, as he became caught in traffic.

'It was a bit awkward and I had to press the 'too late' button on him,' said Prebble with an all's well that ends well grin.

'I did have to get tough on him. I was caught behind Maverick and California Bishop was there on the inside and we were travelling well but caught in a tricky position. I had Douglas on my outside on Tan Tat Baby and I wasn't anticipating being able to get out through there because I didn't think Tan Tat Baby would drop off like that.'

But Tan Tat Baby did fall away suddenly, giving Prebble all the room he needed, and Bouncer did the rest in the manner of a progressive young horse.

'A couple of runs ago, I was pretty keen on my chances with Happy Ambassador in a race here. Bouncer came out and beat him very comfortably, so I thought then he was pretty good and I asked Caspar for the ride when he went around next time,' Prebble explained.

'But that wasn't possible - Douglas was already on him for that race and he won again.

'Today though Douglas was committed to Tan Tat Baby for John Size so I got my chance to pick up his crumbs.'

Prebble said the gelding is improving step by step as he gains racing experience, but has a priceless asset in his attitude.

'Mentally, Bouncer is a great horse for Hong Kong - nothing bothers him,' he said. 'I'm sure that in time he'll run 2,000 metres out and he's a horse that the owners are going to have plenty of fun with.'