Peaky Blinder tests KL waters

Promising three-year-old Peaky Blinder’s first run in Kuala Lumpur on Nov 24 may come in a modest RM40,000 (S$12,000) Class 3 event, but to his trainer Kevin Coetzee, it may well be the first stepping stone to a potentially brilliant career.

Looking at the South African’s bursting trophy cabinet, he would know a fast horse from a not-so-fast horse.

From the day Peaky Blinder landed in his Ipoh yard, he sniffed up ability, even if he is not the most docile customer around.

Whether he would reach the heights of his Selangor Gold Cup winners Good Nature and Good Baby or two-time Coronation Cup winner Speed Baby is another story altogether.

But one rite of passage the three-year-old has to go through to meet any higher ambitions one day is travelling.

On the Malaysian circuit, that would mean a road trip by float, and in Peaky Blinder’s case this weekend, 200km between his Ipoh stables and Sungai Besi.

Some may take those transfers for granted, but to Coetzee, a first test around a new course against tougher cattle was a simpler box to tick.

“I’m more concerned about him travelling for the first time than him going around KL for the first time,” he said.

“He’s a big and strong horse, but he’s also very stroppy. He’s a handful at the stable, and he bullies everybody; loading him on the lorry will be tricky.

“When he’s out on the track, he gets very competitive. That’s why I can’t make him work with a companion.

“KC (Kam Chong) Wong, who has reapplied for a licence and is making his comeback this Saturday, rides him most of the time.

“We have to handle him with kid gloves. So, it will really depend on how he travels.”

Coetzee could have waited for the three-time winner (from five starts) to mend his cantankerous ways first, but he thought the time was right for a first interstate foray.

“He’s in very good form. HS (Harmeet Singh) Gill rode him in his fast work on Tuesday and was very happy with him,” he said.

“I could’ve run him in Ipoh (on Nov 23) but the 1,100m race was a bit short.

“He’s at the top of Class 4 now that he’s won in two Class 4s. He would’ve carried a big weight as well.

“The 1,300m in KL is better, and he’ll also be the youngest horse in the Class 3 race. I think he’s better over 1,400m and may even get the mile when he matures.”

Being the first progeny by Magna Grecia to race in Malaysia, Peaky Blinder has a bit of an unknown pedigree, but Coetzee was more than prepared to take a gamble with him.

“I saw his videos from the 2023 Magic Millions’ Gold Coast 2YOs In Training Sale and liked him from Day 1,” said the 66-year-old.

“Magna Grecia is a new-season stallion who’s doing very well. I wish I could buy more of them, but for some reason, we can’t see any Magna Grecia at the sales any more.”

Magna Grecia is a dual-Group 1-winning son of Invincible Spirit and stands at Coolmore Stud in Ireland.

Peaky Blinder has drawn barrier 1, which did not quite work in his favour at his last start in the Singapore Pools Trophy (1,300m) in Ipoh on Nov 3.

After getting shuffled back to the rear followed by a bit of bumping down the backstraight, it became an uphill task for him to make ground on the leaders.

He eventually ran fifth, beaten eight lengths by Shang Chi.

“At his last start, they put on the early speed up front, and he got back further than we wanted, even though he drew barrier 1,” said Coetzee.

“At the 800m when he saw the orange rails for the long course, he got unbalanced and bumped his stablemate Storm Eighty-Three.

“He still finished off reasonably well, but was too far back.”

Coetzee has no doubt his ward can atone for that failure, and even go on to bigger and better things.

“I genuinely think he’ll become a Class 1 horse once he settles down,” he said.

“The Selangor 3YO series next year would be a good test. I really want him to travel.”

manyan@sph.com.sg