
A friendship forged between two young Kiwi horsemen nearly four decades ago bore Group One fruit last weekend when Prowess upstaged her older rivals in the Gr. 1 Bonecrusher New Zealand Stakes at Pukekohe.
Mark Baker and John Thompson were just starting out in their respective careers in the bloodstock industry when their paths crossed in Ireland. Baker, the son of Te Kauwhata’s Hallmark Stud founders Denny and Lynn Baker, was on a two-year stint with legendary trainer Vincent O’Brien at Ballydoyle, County Tipperary.