Many elite NZ jockeys hit the big time and leave for greener pastures in Australia, however one fantastic rider has remained, and achieved supreme distinction in his homeland

Owen Patrick Bosson was born into a racing family in Rotorua with both his father and grandfather involved in the industry and followed the traditional pony and hunt club path. "Opie" as he was affectionately known started as an apprentice for Stephen Autridge, his godfather. The young Opie showed immense promise and began his race-day riding career as a 15 year old on 25 October 1995 aboard Comette at Dargaville, and soon after had his first win on Fairlie Airlie at the Gisborne Raceway. In the 1996/97 season he rode 75 winners to become Champion Apprentice, then the following season Opie became the first apprentice since fellow Hall of Famer recipient Noel Harris to claim the senior jockeys’ premiership, with 128 winners.

His first Group one victory was aboard Jezabeel in the 1998 Auckland Cup at the age of 17 where his potential talent oozed class. Since these early days Opie has ridden for some of the most prestigious New Zealand stables and jumped aboard many of the finest thoroughbred racehorses to ever hit the turf in NZ, as well as Australia. In December 2023 Opie joined the exclusive 2000-win club on Te Akau 2yo juvenile, Move To Strike at Te Rapa. His recent high-profile wins across the Tasman on star racehorse, Imperatriz in three major feature G1 races was enough motivation to stay in the saddle after some tough times where he doubted his ability to remain competitive at the elite level. The next target is likely 100 Group Ones, currently sitting on 97 wins after a successful summer campaign. Apparently, his wife, the English born Emily Bosson who works for the TAB channel as a presenter in New Zealand, stated Opie would be allowed a boat if he reached the magical 100 G1 figure. It was a joke, but anything to keep the master rider fixed on a goal.

Now the #1 stable rider for Te Akau Racing, the feats Opie has attained must seem a world away from when he was sidelined with weight issues. Bosson, now 43 has needed the help of Te Akau trainer Mark Walker, and stalwart David Ellis, as well as his wife Emily after losing enthusiasm and considering retirement due to the constant wasting necessary to keep riding at around 55kg. He always wanted to get back on top, but it required a fair amount of smart work, training hard on the farm and managing his diet better. Opie looked well and truly back on track Boxing Day 2023, riding five winners on the card at Pukekohe, including the Gr.1 Zabeel Classic on Campionessa. Opie rode four Karaka Magic Million 2YO winners in a row from 2017 - 2020 and five in total. He also won the 2020 3yo Magic Millions race on Probabeel, where the huge, Boys get Paid syndicate in attendance at Ellerslie lead the Chant of, "there's only one Opie Bosson."

In September 1998 Bosson rode the first Australian winner for Chris Waller, Party Belle, in a 2100m maiden race at Wyong, Waller's first ever winner in Australia and the beginning of a Sydney racing dynasty. From those humble beginnings the Kiwi champ has had the luxury of sitting aboard some of the finest when sent across the Tasman, with 10 Group one wins in Australia. He considers his Imperatriz G1 victories in 2023 as a career highlight, however there are so many significant horses in his long resume, and it would be rude not to mention some big wins on the likes of; Lashed, Bramble Road, Fayreform, Zola, Danske, Vinaka, Darci Brahma, Turn Me Loose, Mongolian Khan, Melody Belle, Dynastic, Gingernuts, Avantage, Probabeel, Melody Belle, Te Akau Shark, Entriviare, Tokyo Tycoon and Campionessa.

In the 1997 season he was the McBeath Apprentice of the Year at the BMW New Zealand Thoroughbred Racing Awards and was 8th on the New Zealand Premiership, behind Lance O'Sullivan, with 75 wins from 703 starts. In March 2019 Bosson surpassed the record of Lance O'Sullivan as the winner of the most New Zealand Group 1 races, with 63 when Melody Belle won the New Zealand Stakes at Ellerslie. In December 2023 Bosson became the eighth jockey to record 2000 New Zealand wins when riding Move To Strike to win at Te Rapa. The other seven jockeys to reach that mark were Chris Johnson, David Walsh, Lance O'Sullivan, Noel Harris, Bill Skelton, Michael Coleman and David Peake.

In 2023 Opie was made an Officer of the New Zealand Order of Merit in the King’s Birthday Honours for services to thoroughbred racing. There's no doubt Opie Bosson will look forward to retirement after achieving 100 G1 wins, but he might continue on into Autumn and next Spring before he hangs up his boots and whip and goes fishing, especially while Imperatriz is still on the track, and the behemoth Te Akau Racing stable are providing him with such high quality rides. When he does, he will be remembered in New Zealand as a humble, quietly spoken boy from Rotorua that turned out to be one of the greatest horseman the country has ever seen, and he barely had to leave the Aotearoa shores.