Red Ocean set to make waves again

What is it with Red Ocean? Since smashing his rivals over the 1,400m some 14 months ago, he seems to have gone calm.

No more wins. Just a third and two fourth placings from seven starts.

Definitely not what one would have expected from a horse who, including that last win, had put together four victories from nine starts.

Then again, horses are entitled to go “off the boil”. So, all credit to trainer Shane Baertschiger for persevering with his five-year-old, who has yet to face the starter in 2023.

Not much can be said about his work on the training track but, from what he displayed at the trials on Tuesday morning, he could be on the cusp of a revival.

Here is how it unfolded.

We could give it to you short and sweet – Red Ocean led all the way.

But that would be grossly unfair to describe what really happened.

Listed as having a 1,000m barrier test, Red Ocean slaughtered the opposition.

Partnered by Matthew Kellady, he cleared the gates as clean as a whistle and quickly opened a three-length break on Kwazii, the mount of Ronnie Stewart, and Sportscaster, who was ridden by apprentice Jerlyn Seow.

Into the final stretch and with 300m to travel, he began to draw further and further away.

Indeed, if this was an actual race and Kellady had taken a look behind, he would have seen panic and resignation on the faces of the other riders.

But this was just a trial and Kellady did not push his mount into overdrive.

He did what was enough to secure a win and Red Ocean did the rest, cruising in by seven lengths.

Even then, when not ridden out to the line, his time for the 1,000m was 1min 00.47sec – just a tick from breaking the one-minute mark.

Kellady would have been pleased and Baertschiger would have nodded his approval.

As for his owners, the MA Racing & Hi Vis Stable, they can now start dreaming of that next photo-taking session with their handsome racer.

It has, after all, been a long wait between drinks.

Yes, Red Ocean is better than his last few runs seemed to suggest.

Certainly better than that last-start no show when he ran a long last to Cyclone over 1,400m.

But that was then.

From what he showed us at the trials, it could be said, with confidence, that the five-month break has rekindled his desire and racy spirit.

Later, in the third trial of the morning, we saw another runner who must go into your notebook as a horse to follow.

He is no stranger to racegoers and his name is Katak.

The South African-bred, who carries a rating of 108 points, was in a galloping mood and, like Red Ocean in the previous trial, led from “go to whoa”.

While we have, so often in the past, seen Katak go under the minute mark at the trials, Tuesday’s effort was even better.

He very nearly went under the 59sec barrier when clocking 59.02 for the trip.

Unlike Kellady, who had a sedan-chair ride on Red Ocean, Katak’s rider Vlad Duric had to stave off challenges from a host of runners.

In the end, and as is so often the case, class won the day and Katak took the trial by 1¼ lengths from Surpass Natural and Minister (Kellady).

It was a decent effort by the Donna Logan-trained Minister, who has been entered for the big one on Saturday – the $100,000 Kranji Stakes A contest over the mile.

On current form, he could be worth tossing into those quartet combinations.