The North End oarsman is the only Otago rower likely to win a premier title at the New Zealand championships that start at Lake Ruataniwha today.
Bond (23), a former world champion, is eager to get back into winning mode after a disappointing Beijing Olympic Games.
"Two or three red coats is my goal.
''I would be happy with that," Bond told the Otago Daily Times from Twizel yesterday.
Bond will be competing in four premier men's events: pair, coxless four, quadruple sculls and the eight.
He will be wearing the North End club colours but will be a member of the Southern Regional Performance crews.
His best chance of winning New Zealand titles will be in the pair with Jade Uru.
He also has high hopes in the quadruple sculls with fellow Olympians Peter Taylor and Storm Uru, who finished seventh at the Beijing Olympic Games, and Matthew Trott.
Bond won three gold medals at last year's championships at Lake Karapiro.
It was the first time an Otago-based rower had won three red coats at a national event.
Bond has won four red coats in the past two years to become the best rower produced by the North End club and the Otago province.
There is another member of the Bond family who is in contention to win a gold medal at the championships.
Alistair Bond (19) is teamed with North End club-mate Curtis Bush in the club double sculls and the under-21 double sculls.
Alistair Bond started rowing at Christchurch Boys High School, joined the North End club last season and is coached by Royce Wilson.
Another North End sculler coached by Wilson is Michael Nisbet, who is a gold medal contender in the senior single sculls.
Nisbet has a record of winning at the national championships and won gold medals in the club single and double sculls when the championships were held at Lake Ruataniwha two years ago.
The North End under-21 pair of Joe Latta and Robbie Mears are also gold medal contenders.
The Fred Strachan-coached crew won a gold medal in the under-16 double sculls for Otago Boys at last year's Maadi Cup.
Another gold medal prospect is Rachael O'Connell (North End) in the women's club single sculls.
Two other scullers to note are Elyse Fraser (University) in the open single sculls and Lucy Strack (North End), premier lightweight single sculls.
Strack won a bronze medal in the premier event last year.
Otago rowers won 10 medals - five gold, three silver and two bronze - at last year's championships at Lake Karapiro.
This was one more medal than was won at Lake Ruataniwha in 2007.
Last year, the North End club won three gold and one bronze.
Otago University won two gold, two silver and two bronze.
Other Otago crews with medal prospects include Richard Wilden and Thomas Stott (Otago) in the club single and double sculls, and the Otago University club four of Albert Hansen, Fergus Fauvel, Will Hyndman, James Harvey and cox Aynsley Moore.
The championships start at Lake Ruataniwha today and the finals will be held on Friday and Saturday.
