Cash Cove in sparkling form

If there was a tune-up which caught the eye, it was the run of Cash Cove.

While others contesting Saturday’s races took the morning 600m gallop route into the weekend, Cash Cove’s connections opted to send him to the trials on Tuesday morning.

And he was not there to make up the numbers. Cash Cove took it seriously – and he looked good doing it.

Sure, his recent form could be a turn-off and he has drawn the “unfavourable” gate No. 12 in Race 10 on Saturday.

But he is not a spent force. Indeed, his trial on Tuesday morning was not just “above average”.

It was an honest piece of work, and it should hold him in good stead for the upcoming assignment.

Running in the third of three trials on the day, Cash Cove was away with the pack – who broke in a clean line – and quickly settled into third spot.

Up in front, Run Buddy Run, the mount of Koh Teck Huat, and Silo (Bernardo Pinheiro) made sure there was a genuine pace.

Cash Cove, the mount of Vlad Duric, was happy to stay in their slipstream and, although taking the scenic route wide out, he kept Laksana (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) and Gold Legend (Bruno Queiroz) at arm’s length.

Into the straight, he was still in third spot but he came alive at the furlong mark.

Taking the bit between his teeth, he easily put the leaders to the sword.

Duric looked around and, seeing that there were no real challenges, he took it easy on Cash Cove, who still managed to get to the line a comfortable half-length winner.

Silo stayed around for second, which left Laksana in third spot.

As for the early leader, Run Buddy Run, he was eased out and eventually finished last of the six runners.

But it was all about the grey, Cash Cove, who ran out the 1,000m trip in 1min 00.85sec.

Owned by the Cash Cove Stable and trained by Alwin Tan, the four-year-old was, on the day, in his element.

Indeed, it has been a long time since he had a “1” beside his name – even if this one was just a trial.

The last time was way back on Jan 14. That day, when ridden by Manoel Nunes, he completely justified being sent off as the raging $6 favourite when he led from pillar to post, beating The Shadow by a length.

That race was a Class 4 affair over the 1,100m and it was the fourth time that Cash Cove had greeted the judge.

His three other wins were in 2022 – on Aug 7, Sept 3 and Nov 13 – with all of them recorded over the 1,100m and on the synthetic surface.

Yes, come Saturday, and despite being drawn awkwardly, he will be right at home over track and trip. So do not shy away from being in his corner. His performance at the trials tells us that he is primed for a fifth success.

Earlier, in the second trial of the morning, Reignite finished off his hit-out in style, coming home with big, bounding strides to beat higher-rated stablemate Countofmontecristo (Pinheiro) by four lengths.

Major King, ridden by Wong Chin Chuen, also worked home well to hold down third spot.

LIke Cash Cove, Reignite is also a four-time winner and his work at Kranji is not yet done.

From Donna Logan’s yard, the son of Sebring was well beaten at his last start, going down to Grand Avante and Golden Brown.

That race was over the 1,200m on the Polytrack and it was Reignite’s return to Class 4.

It was at that level that he scored three of his four wins for the Te Akau Racing Stable.

The first of those victories came on Sept 4, 2021. He made it a quickfire double 14 days later and two starts later – in November – he notched his third win.

Win No. 4 came in May, 2022. Sent up to Class 3, Reignite failed to fire and the best he could do was a second to Pacific Emperor on June 24.

Now that he is back in Class 4 and in his comfort zone, we should see a spring in his step. So, watch him closely when he next goes to the races.

For his fans, it has been a long time between drinks.

They deserve something to help “reignite” their enthusiasm. A fifth win by this Logan runner will certainly do the trick.

brian@sph.com.sg