When Newcastle businessman Gary Sheppard bought Bon Amis for just $4000 off a bloodstock website, he would have been happy with a couple of country wins.
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Come Saturday, Sheppard and his syndicate of mostly first-time Newcastle thoroughbred owners could have a horse with prizemoney of more than $1 million.
The six-year-old gelding is a genuine chance of taking out the inaugural $1 million The Hunter (1300 metres) at Newcastle Racecourse.
Under the guidance of Newcastle trainer Jason Deamer, Bon Amis has already won eight of 19 starts, including five at Rosehill, and a tick over $480,000 in stakes.
He was an $12 chance with TAB Fixed Odds for The Hunter, which carries a first prize of $580,000.
"It is a good story," Sheppard said.
"We've had some negative stories with horse racing in recent times, so it's a great story.
"You've got some Hunter people in there. He was a cheap buy and what a story it would be if he could knock them off and win that race.
"It's good to see the local horses get a run because we were hearing the names that might be coming and we were starting to wonder if we'd be in the field, so it's great.
"We all bought tickets straight away, and we're looking forward to a great day and hoping for a great result."
A million-dollar race in his hometown is a mile away from where Sheppard thought he would get with Bon Amis, which was an unraced three-year-old when he took it to Deamer.
He had been sold by his Coffs Harbour trainer to recoup debts from his previous owner.
"It's very exciting," Sheppard said.
"I think a couple of wins in the country and we would have been pretty happy, so to see what he's done is a bit of a dream.
"Most of the people in the horse are first-time owners so it's been some ride for them. It's been great."
Sheppard and others in the syndicate are Newcastle Jockey Club members and they were keen to get a start in The Hunter, which will be the richest provincial race ever held.
"When the Hunter race was announced, I said to Jason: 'We should have a go. The horse is trained here, it's our track, so why not have a crack?'
"We all like to dream and so far it's been a great ride with him, and we've been very lucky with getting a horse like him. I've had some slow ones so it's nice to have one that's decent.
"I take my hat off to Jason. He's done all the work and he's a great trainer. He rides all his horses in trackwork and if he didn't think the horse was worthy of being in that race, it wouldn't be there.
"I think he's a good chance, he'll be competitive."
Deamer never dreamed his home track would host a $1 million race, let alone that Bon Amis would be a chance of winning it.
"When we first got him, he didn't show us much, but he'd done nothing," Deamer said. "He'd been in a paddock for quite a long time. So we gave him a break, brought him back and he started to show us something. We've taken it step by step."
A virus put back preparations and forced Deamer to scratch Bon Amis from the Sydney Stakes on October 19, but he was confident the horse was back close to his best after public and private trials.
"It all got pushed back a couple of weeks and it would have been good to have that lead-up run," he said.
"Since then we've just cruised along and he had that trial here. He needed the hit-out, we hadn't done much fast work with him, that's why we had [jockey] Sam [Clenton] give him a couple, to make him do a bit and that has really brought him along. He's been eating very well since and I've been pumping the work into him."
Bon Amis has not won beyond 1100m and will take a step up in class but Deamer believed several factors were in his favour, including a likely start in barrier four.
"He gets in well at the weights," he said. "He's only got 53.5, and it's just good to have him on his home track. He's only had two starts here for a first and a second.
"Everyone is querying him about 1300, but he was in the provincial championship heat here over 1400 and should have won it.
"He is first-up but he hasn't been in a paddock for a long spell. He's been in here all the time."
Deamer has about 14 in his stable, a small team when compared to the likes of top Newcastle trainer Kris Lees, but he has tasted rich success before, after preparing 2002 2YO Magic Millions winner Lovely Jubly.
But he said Bon Amis has "been great because there's a good story behind him and a few people in him that I've trained for for a long time."