‘The horse meant a lot to him': Bosustow, named after late footy legend Peter Bosustow, on hunt for Group 1 glory
Shelley Bosustow was doing the ironing when she heard a loud, piercing scream.
Her husband, legendary former Australian Rules footballer Peter Bosustow, was years into a devastating cancer battle so she quickly raced to his side.
'One day I was ironing and all of a sudden he was absolutely screaming,' Shelley Bosustow told Racenet.
'I thought he was having a heart attack or a stroke.
'But it turned out he was cheering the horse home, the horse named after him, and he was jumping up and down like a lunatic.
'Peter had always been a mad racing man, right from when I first met him, he used to go to the trots a lot.
•
'The horse (Bosustow) meant a lot to him every time it raced, in the final stages of his life.
'He was so excited every time it raced and he was always so keen to watch it.
'He loved racing, even right to the end he got sent tips from (Australian Rules legends) Stephen Kernahan and Dougie Hawkins.'
Bosustow, a three-year-old colt trained by Rob and Annabel Archibald, races in Saturday's Group 1 Kingsford Smith Cup at Eagle Farm where he is an $8.50 chance.
After bolting to victory by six lengths in the Gold Coast Guineas last start, Bosustow is also one of the top betting picks for next month's Group 1 Stradbroke Handicap, Queensland's most prestigious race.
The young horse is honouring Peter 'Buzz' Bosustow, the electrifying West Australian who won two VFL premierships with the Carlton Blues in the 1980s.
• 'I slept in the back of a car': How Joliestar's owner started from nothing
Tragically, Peter Bosustow passed away in April after a long and gruelling cancer fight.
Not long afterwards, Shelley Bosustow felt the horse with the same name had help from above when it won the Gold Coast Guineas by as far as you could kick your hat.
'When it raced the other day, it bolted away, I am sure that Peter was riding the horse home from up above,' Shelley Bosustow said.
'He would have loved that race when it won on the Gold Coast, I sat and watched it and I just burst into tears.
'Anthony Mithen and his (business) partners name horses after former Aussie Rules footballers and one of our kids told Peter that there had been a horse named after him.
'Months later, Peter reached out to Anthony Mithen and said he was thrilled to hear about it.
'And he just kept following the horse and getting updates.'
Bosustow loves racing at @GCTurfClub! He dominates the Gold Coast Guineas for @ANeashamRacing ðŸ'° pic.twitter.com/EWLkNGveYt
— SKY Racing (@SkyRacingAU) May 10, 2025
* Hulbert has Melbourne Cup dream for ex-Maher import
Mithen and his Rosemont Alliance stretched to $900,000 to purchase Bosustow as a yearling and the colt has already won more than $2m and established himself as one of Australia's most exciting young horses.
The original plan was for him to race in Saturday's Group 3 Fred Best Classic at Eagle Farm, a three-year-old race which offers the winner a golden ticket into next month's Stradbroke.
But with Bosustow dominating his opposition last start – and virtually guaranteed of a Stradbroke start – connections raised their sights and will set the colt loose on Saturday's Group 1.
Shelley Bosustow will be watching on TV from her home in Mandurah, WA, and remembering her late, great husband.
• Callow to miss Derby after jockey altercation
'We knew the cancer was going to eventually get Pete, but it is always a shock when it happens,' she said.
'We are an extremely close family and his kids miss him terribly.
'Peter was sick for almost four years, it was rectal cancer but by the time they found it, it had spread to his liver.
'He stopped chemo last November for his own sake, because he had 61 rounds of it, seven hours at a time.
'And then he had heaps of radiation and all the other stuff you could possibly have.
'He came down with jaundice in March.
'One Sunday morning, he was yellow.
'I got him straight to hospital and they put drains and stents in his liver, but a few weeks later he passed away.
'His liver basically just gave up on him.'
The racing business can be a cutthroat one, but it can also be deeply emotional and incredibly personal.
If Bosustow races up to them to fight out the finish on Saturday, the best bet of the day is there will be a late, great footballer giving it an extra urge from up above.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
AFL 2025: Goalkicking great Lance Franklin calls for urgent change at Carlton
AFL great Lance Franklin has urged Carlton to swing the axe on embattled coach Michael Voss 'ASAP'. The Blues went down to the Kangaroos by 11 points on Saturday afternoon – a stunning 93-point turnaround from their Good Friday win in the earlier fixture. The defeat has increased pressure on Voss, prompting captain Patrick Cripps to throw his support behind the Carlton coach on Monday morning. But Franklin sees the situation differently, saying the Blues aren't getting the best out of their list and need urgent change. 'I'm going to put this out there, I know this is a big call, I don't think he sees out the year,' Franklin told The Buddy & Shane Show. 'I think they've got a pretty good list, I do, I think the issue is the messaging is not getting through to the players. 'I think there needs to be change and we've said it before, we're all about the players and coaches, but I think this is a change that needs to happen and it needs to happen ASAP because the messaging is not getting through. 'All of the Carlton supporters would probably say the same. I'm probably speaking on behalf of them. I think there needs to be a change and it'll probably happen in the next few weeks is my tip. 'It's a big call, but that's what I think will happen.' Cripps defended Voss, saying there needed to be greater responsibility on the players. 'I couldn't speak highly enough of Vossy as a coach, also as a mentor and a friend,' Cripps said. 'He puts a lot of work into it along with the whole (coaching group) … that group's very aligned. 'We're in it together – we're not going to point blame at anyone else, we're going to take complete ownership, especially as players. '(Voss) has done a great job for us for a long time now, and I feel like as players, we need to aim up a bit more.' The Blues went into round 15 with a shot at moving closer the top eight but left the MCG to a chorus of boos from their own supporters. Cripps said Carlton was at its best when it was 'stronger together' and pleaded for the frustrated fans to 'buy in and get behind' the Blues. 'I don't want to divide us versus the fans – I feel like it's really important we stay together,' Cripps said. 'When times are tough, it's the most important time to stay together and stay united. 'For a lot of years now, we've had that 'stronger together' mindset, and it's easy to do that when we're winning … it's bloody hard to do that when you're having tough losses. 'We're sticking fat together … buy in and get behind us, we'll turn it around. It's going to take a lot of work and a lot of effort, but we're going to stay united.' Carlton has a short turnaround between games with Port Adelaide on the road this Thursday night.
ABC News
an hour ago
- ABC News
Queensland government to spend more than $33 billion on public health next year
The Queensland government will invest more than $33 billion in the public health system next financial year, the ABC can reveal. Treasurer David Janetzki will make the record funding announcement on Tuesday afternoon when he hands down the first state budget since the LNP's election win in October. The budget will also include an investment of more than $18 billion in health infrastructure over the next five financial years. More than $5 billion of that will fund the construction of new and expanded facilities, including the New Coomera Hospital on the Gold Coast, as well as expansions of Redcliffe and Townsville Hospitals. The timeline for the delivery of those projects and which exact financial years the funds will be spent in remains unknown. The government has said the record investment is a more than 10 per cent increase on this financial year, when its Labor predecessors spent almost $29 billion. Mr Janetzki said the government was following through on its pre-election pledges. "We made a commitment to Queenslanders that we'd deliver world-class health services where and when they need them, and this budget delivers on that promise," he said. The LNP has promised to deliver more than 2,600 new hospital beds across the state through its 'Hospital Rescue Plan', although there's no timeline for when those will be operational yet. While in opposition, it had committed to Labor's goal of 2,200 new beds by 2028. A review of the former government's hospital expansion program found it had increased in cost to $17 billion, up from $9.8 billion. Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the record investment would ensure vital services were kept running. "The budget will fund measures Labor didn't fund or left underfunded, like the women and girls' strategy, staff entitlements including reproductive leave [and] legislated but unfunded midwife-to-patient ratios," he said. Mr Nicholls said the funding would also allow Mater Hospital Springfield to open 186 public beds. Queensland Health's operational budget over the next four financial years will be increased by more than $6.5 billion. The former Labor government's last budget was headlined by big-ticket cost-of-living relief measures, including $1,000 energy rebates and 20 per cent vehicle registration discounts. With those now due to end, Mr Janetzki flagged more targeted measures for those who "need it most", in an interview with the ABC on Sunday. The government has otherwise been tight-lipped on what to expect from Tuesday's budget. It has announced it will continue to fund a program launched by the previous government where parents with children playing sport can access $200 vouchers. Concessions of $30,000 for first home buyers purchasing a new build will also be continued. On Monday, the government detailed a raft of crime prevention measures, including almost $150 million for police equipment like tasers and body-worn cameras as well as $50 million for crime prevention schools for at-risk youths. While in opposition, the LNP promised debt would be lower under its governance than Labor's. It has also ruled out any cuts to the public service. A budget review in January showed Queensland's debt was forecast to surge to $218 billion by 2027-28, up from the $172 billion Labor forecast in its final budget. The opposition, though, accused the government of juicing the books to make the outlook look as bad as possible. The full budget will be delivered on Tuesday afternoon.
News.com.au
an hour ago
- News.com.au
Brave four-year old girl Marigold Jessie fights for life after falling from Bali treehouse
A brave four-year old girl from Adelaide is fighting for life in hospital after a horror accident in Bali. Marigold Jessie, 4, was on a family holiday when she fell from a treehouse at their Bali villa fracturing her skill and causing bleeding on the brain. The young girl was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery in Bali to alleviate pressure from her brain, before she was flown back to Adelaide. Her aunty Sophie McInnerney said her niece was taken to the Women's and Children's Hospital in Adelaide where she has remained in intensive care. 'Goldie isn't a stranger to hospitals … it's where she spent the first 100 days of her life after she was born at just 25 weeks,' Ms McInnerney said. 'Goldie has an incredible fighting (and feisty) spirit and is the bravest little soul we know, but she has a long road ahead to recovery. 'Lucky for Goldie, she has the most doting and dedicated parents in Nick and Carly who will be there holding her hand the whole way.' Ms McInnerney set up a GoFundMe page for Marigold's family as the experience continued to take its toll on the family, which has raised more than $59,000 in two days. 'They are going to need a lot of love and support to get through this,' she said.
