Leatherhead trials like a good thing

On a quiet Tuesday morning, with just three trials being contested, Leatherhead showed promise of a good performance in Race 5 on Saturday.

Although beaten a length by Surpass Natural in a two-horse hit-out, he impressed with his dogged attitude.

With the withdrawal of Win Win and Sabah Star, Leatherhead could have eased himself out of the trial and nobody would have given him low marks.

Instead, he worked home like a good horse should. On that showing, he should come into Saturday’s race carrying no excessive baggage.

Ridden by Jake Bayliss, Leatherhead tracked Surpass Natural down the back stretch and was peeled out to race wide when the pair straightened.

While Surpass Natural, who had former jockey T.R. Barbabas in the saddle, was never going to get caught, Leatherhead – untouched with the persuader – was doing his best work over the concluding stages.

He went over the 1,000m trip in 62.5sec. A six-time winner from 37 starts, Leatherhead does his best racing on the Polytrack. 

But, of late, he has run some good races on the turf.

Take, for example, that last run some three weeks ago.

It was a 1,400m contest on the grass and Leatherhead came home full of running to finish third behind the winner King’s Command.

King’s Command, by the way, is one of the top fancies in Saturday’s Singapore Group 1 Kranji Mile.

Will the additional 400m that Leatherhead will have to travel over the weekend pose a problem?

The answer is “no”.

It was two runs ago that the Ricardo Le Grange-trained six-year-old put his sixth win on the board with a fighting victory over 1,700m on the Poly.

Bayliss had to dig deep for that win and got it by a nose.

While Leatherhead may not be going to Hollywood any time soon, we reckon he is in good-enough condition to run a bold race.

If you are looking for something to go into your notebook under the heading “Horses To Follow”, you might want to scribble in the name Ksatria.

He was beaten by newcomer Major King and Victorem in the opening trial, but he was running on like a good horse.

Manoel Nunes was in the irons and Kranji’s leading hoop saved his mount for a spurt to the finish.

Ksatria could not catch the front pair, but he crossed the line looking like he had just begun.

From trainer Stephen Gray’s yard, Ksatria’s form figures from his last five runs read 2-3-1-4-3, with his last win coming three starts back.

Nunes has yet to partner the six-year-old in a race. When he does, you, too, had better get in on the action.

Trainer Donna Logan, who has been having a tremendous run, has some nice specimens of horseflesh in her yard.

These are horses yet to face the starter and we saw three of them at the trials.

Charminton and Montana Flash are exciting three-year-olds, while Legacy Fortune is four.

All three were having their first official race trials and they finished first, second and third – in that order.

Watch out for them when they turn up at the races.

Tuesday’s Kranji barrier trial results:

TRIAL 1
1 Major King (R Shafiq)
2 Victorem ( T Rehaizat)
3 Ksatria (M Nunes)
Margins and time: 
1 1/2, 1 (1min 01.26)

TRIAL 2
1 Charminton (F Yusoff)
2 Montana Flash (K Hakim)
3 Legacy Fortune (J Bayliss)
4 Real Efecto (D Beasley)
5 Kermajack (PH Seow)
6 Star Empire 
Margins and time: 
1, 2 1/2, 6 1/2, 1 1/2, 9 3/4 (1:01.20)

TRIAL 3
1 Surpass Natural 
2 Leatherhead (Bayliss)
Margins and time: 1 (1:02.32)