Danny J Bougoure
Born into racing Danny Bougoure is a second generation racehorse trainer. His father, the late Doug Bougoure, had started off as a jockey then went on to become a trainer, who always managed to produce a good horse from a small team.
A natural horseman Danny was riding well before he could walk. His father would sit him on the front of the saddle as a baby and they would ride together around the neighbourhood. At a mere 18 months of age Danny was riding the stable pony without any assistance.
It was a natural progression that Danny began breaking in racehorses with his father, at the age of twelve and s
portly after began riding track work. As the strapper and work rider of his father’s best horse, the superstar galloper Strawberry Road, Danny learnt the feel of a good horse and was exposed to the pressures of racing early.
When his father became temporarily sidelined with pneumonia, the then 17 year old Danny was entrusted to travel alone to Victoria with the entire Strawberry Road for the Spring Carnival. Leading Strawberry Road back to scale after winning the 1983 Cox Plate still ranks as one of Danny’s racing highlights. This trip also gave Danny the opportunity to ride for and learn from Australian Leading Trainer Colin Hayes for a couple of months.
Danny took out his trainers licence in his own right at the age of 25. He was quickly rewarded with black type success, when a handy galloper named Full Scope, won the Meynink Stakes. Group success was not far away when Nauders ran third, in the Group 1 Brisbane Cup.
It was the young bay colt Falvelon, which really put young Dan Bougoure’s name up in lights. Falvelon was an undefeated, Stakes winning two year old, who won his first seven starts. A dual Group 1 winner, he placed a further 8 times at Group 1 level. He remains the only entire to have won the Group 1 Doomben 10,000 twice he still holds the race record of 1.17.2 for his first win in 2001.
Falvelon went on to represent Australia on the International stage three times. He became the only Australian horse to win back to back Hong Kong International Sprints conquering the best sprinters in the world. At his final attempt Falvelon ran a gallant third.
One of Danny’s greatest achievements was to have prepared the entire Falvelon to win at the highest level from 2YO through to a rising 7YO. A measure of Danny’s skill as a horse trainer is that he was able to set Falvelon for feature races and unerring land the prize.
During his racing career Falvelon was crowned Queensland Horse of the Year four times and was twice crowned Australian Champion Sprinter. Falvelon retired to stud with career earnings (including bonuses) of over $4 Million which was at the time an Australian record for prizemoney earned by a sprinter.
However, Falvelon was not the only good horse in Bougoure’s stable. He also trained Group 1 Emirates Stakes winner Scenic Peak who still holds the track record at Flemington for 1600m (no small feat as the course has been operational for 150 years).
In 2014, Danny Bougoure was inducted into the Doomben 10,000 Fraternity for his efforts in training Champion Falvelon to win back to back Doomben 10,000’s. That same year at the Queensland Racing Industry Awards, Danny Bougoure was honoured to have his Champion racehorse Falvelon, inducted into the Queensland Hall Of Fame for his performance on the track.This honour was especially meaningful as Danny’s late father Douglas Bougoure had received the same honour at the inaugural Queensland Hall of Fame awards with his Champion racehorse Strawberry Road.
On the same night as Falvelon was inducted into the Hall of Fame, the Danny Bougoure trained filly, Oakleigh Girl was awarded Queensland Two Year Old of Year.
After scoring her debut win, in the Group 3 Channel 7 Stakes over 1000m down the straight at Flemington on Melbourne Cup day (in the time of 57.51), Oakleigh Girl went on to take honours in the Listed Calaway Girl Stakes and was runner up in Magic Millions 2YO Classic. As the first horse past the post, fully owned by a woman, Oakleigh Girl also won the Magic Millions Women in Racing Bonus, bring her career earnings to $853,500.
First and foremost Dan Bougoure is a horseman and anyone who sees his horses quickly recognises how well they are conditioned. Danny trains out of a boutique size stable on course at Eagle Farm where the horses are given the individual attention they need to achieve their best.
Danny is well regarded and respected by other trainers as an honest and skilled horseman. To this day many visiting trainers, request to stay in Danny’s stables during the Queensland Winter Carnival, as they trust that Danny will step in and help their staff prepare the horses for the carnival.
Whilst there is never any guarantee of success one thing can be assured, if the horse is good enough, Danny Bougoure has proven that he is good enough to take the horse to the elite level.
