Krisna has hit it off with Sacred Buddy
Trainer Desmond Koh’s Mr Consistency will be in the mix when the whips are cracking
If a Mr Consistency award existed, Sacred Buddy would have been one of the favourites for the nod.
With only nine starts in a career spanning almost two years (21 months), the honest sort would be considered as a sparingly raced horse. But on those occasions the son of Sacred Falls graced the turf, he seldom let his each-way backers down.
Four wins, three seconds and one third, mostly over 1,200m, made sure their pockets were never emptied, especially on debut in an Open Maiden when he blew his rivals away to return a juicy $158 payout.
While he did not revisit the winner’s box for another five months, he was never far off the mark.
Trainer Desmond Koh’s decision to drop him to Class 5 company in April sparked up three wins in four starts, with jockey Krisna Thangamani aboard at all three.
Nitpickers looking for any fly in the ointment might point at his only unplaced effort in a Class 4 event over 1,200m on March 2.
In hindsight, and ironically, that run might even get the vote as one of his best performances.
Caught wide, he was hanging out like your neighbour’s washing, but he still boxed on gamely for fourth, less than three lengths off the winner – a certain Lim’s Saltoro.
This time round, Sacred Buddy is up against his regular Class 4 cattle, and over the Polytrack.
While he is more proven on turf, he is no slouch on the alternative surface, having registered his only win on the all-weather on June 16 – over 1,100m, which is the same distance of the Aug 18 contest.
The five-year-old New Zealand-bred has drawn off the track, but it should not worry him. Two of his wins hailed from wide alleys.
Krisna gels well with Sacred Buddy. He knows how to navigate him around such hurdles but, more pointedly, towards the safest and best way home.
One horse who clearly grows another leg on the Polytrack is Maze.
Trainer Tim Fitzsimmons’ perseverance with that course for the son of Toronado finally paid off at his last two starts in Class 5 company, both over 1,100m.
The five-year-old is, however, rising in class and may not find this bunch as easy to account for.
But the style of his last-start win, punching the breeze three deep, suggests he should more than hold his own at such a level.
He has drawn in, which is always a plus, and because of his low handicap of 52kg, stable jockey and last-start winning partner Ryan Curatolo has to sit out the ride.
The replacement in the saddle could not be of better quality – Raffles Cup-winning hoop Wong Chin Chuen.
Elliot Ness makes his racing comeback since chalking up his fourth win at his last start in January. While trainer Donna Logan has not sent the Written Tycoon seven-year-old to the barrier trials, he does look fit enough on the training tracks.
With a first-up record which is not among the strongest at Kranji, it is unlikely he can come close to his 1min 03.65sec course record right off the bat. But neither would he surprise many if he fought for the minors.
One horse who is almost guaranteed to be in the first three, if not the outright winner – but at the top of the straight – is speed squib Pacific Hero. That status will probably change another furlong down but, if the five-year-old son of Exceed And Excel gets a soft lead enough, he can round out the quartet in Race 10.
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