Greatham Boy looks good for 3YO Sprint

Greatham Boy is looking good and, after that fluent win at his last start, his connections could be thinking that their boy could lift the big one on April 6.

Trainer Tim Fitzsimmons and the Greatham Boy Stable will go into the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1,200m) carrying high hopes. It will not come as any surprise to see their galloper romp home.

For one thing, Greatham Boy is better than good.

In a short career, he has amassed close to $150,000 in career earnings – and, to think, he has only raced six times for three wins, a second and a third.

As if to remind those who do not already know, it was on April 2 that Fitzsimmons sent Greatham Boy for an early morning spin on the training track.

It was probably to tie up loose ends and the son of Stratosphere turned in a stirring gallop, running the 600m in 39.3sec.

As it stands, Greatham Boy will be in his comfort zone when the runners are called in for the $110,000 race.

He will feel the turf under his hooves – which is something he likes. And he will gobble up the 1,200m trip like a kid slurping an ice cream.

Then there is the “occasion”.

Sometimes, even the best – two legs or four – can get “stage fright” in these big races.

Well, Greatham Boy gets a pass mark in that category.

He has, you could say, been there and done that.

How come? Well, surely you remember how he lifted that 2023 Group 3 Singapore Golden Horseshoe (1,200m) last July?

That day, when ridden by Daniel Moor – who will jet in from Melbourne to partner him again – and still prepared by trainer Michael Clements, he did not just beat his rivals, who included the now Hong Kong-based Silo, and Bakeel.

He left them bruised, taking the honours by a comfortable length after holding third spot for most of the 1,200m trip.

That was the second leg of a race-to-race double.

He then “moved house” to Fitzsimmons’ yard and, after three runs which produced a second and a third, Greatham Boy gifted his new master with a fighting win at his last start.

That was on Feb 24 when, with Manoel Nunes on the reins, he beat Thunder Legend by a short head over the Sprint distance of 1,200m.

Yes, Greatham Boy is ready for a mighty effort.

On the undercard, Bransom could give his master, trainer Stephen Gray, a big reason to smile.

The 59-year-old trainer only recently announced that he will be quitting the Kranji racing scene after the April 27 meeting and returning home to continue with his lifelong passion.

It is yet another blow to the already dour state of affairs at Kranji, where racing will cease after Oct 5.

But, hopefully, Gray will go out with a flourish and that is where Bransom comes in.

The Brazen Beau four-year-old has a date with the starter in the Class 4 sprint over the flying 1,000m and he looks good to go.

Bransom was out on the training track on April 2 and, with Bruno Queiroz in the saddle, he ran out the 600m in 41.6sec – relaxed and unextended.

It was a good piece of work from the four-time winner, who will be further buoyed by the tumble down to Class 4 after four winless attempts in Classes 2 and 3.

Also on the undercard, Lucky Goal bears watching.

Still without a victory in four starts, trainer Jason Ong has picked a winnable sort of race for his three-year-old who, on the strength of his most recent gallop, does seem to be nearing the top of his game.

Out on the training track, Lucky Goal had Nunes doing the steering when running the 600m in 40.5sec.

It was a good piece of work from the son of Shalaa who, at his last start, was beaten into fourth spot when racing as the $14 second pick in that hotly contested Open Maiden race over the 1,200m on Feb 17.

Two trials later – on March 14 and 28 – Lucky Goal looks in mint condition and few will begrudge Kranji’s leading trainer from adding another winner to his ever-growing list.

brian@sph.com.sg