Sacred Buddy is above Class 5
Impressive debut winner has not saluted again, but has always been around the mark
It is hard to ignore Sacred Buddy’s chances in the $30,000 Class 5 race (1,200m) on April 6, even if the winning post has proven elusive in the last five months.
When the Sacred Falls four-year-old scored a stunning debut win at the jaw-dropping price of $158 in an Open Maiden (1,200m) on Nov 4, there was a sense it would be no flash in the pan.
The way he sat off the leader, before effortlessly running away from the rest under Iskandar Rosman, suggested he had quite an engine under the bonnet.
While some may feel things did not go to script at his four subsequent defeats, his runs were actually not without merit.
For a start, two seconds, one third and one fourth have stamped him as a model of consistency.
But those runs take on another dimension when his conquerors include the likes of now Hong Kong-based Silo (short head second), the unbeaten Lim’s Saltoro (less than three lengths off) and Strike Gold, one of the top fancies in the $110,000 Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1,200m) six races later.
Considering how close he ran off horses rated in their 70s, and to now drop back in class against the sub-50s, he should be hard to beat.
With Sacred Buddy having faced the starter only five times in six months, it is clear that trainer Desmond Koh has not pushed him “down the squeezer”.
Freshness is on his side, but maybe not quite the back-breaking 59kg, especially for his lightly built frame of only around 440kg.
The booking of one-kilo claimer Krisna Thangamani will bring some relief, but, that said, the 58kg did not seem to stop him at his closing third to Strike Gold.
Still, he looks heads and shoulders above this lot, purely based on the much better cattle he rubbed shoulders with before.
That does not mean it will be a one-horse race. Far from it.
The sticky barrier in No. 9 is one query, but he will also take on a few opponents who should not stay in Class 5 company too long, like City Gold Telecom.
The Sebring four-year-old also hung around Class 4 races mostly before, throwing up some notable runs behind Mt Niseko, Golden Brown and Wins One. He will be in the mix.
On the other hand, Hey Boss is in his element in Class 5. Still winless in 14 starts, he ran a cracking second to Sirius at his last outing.
From a handier barrier in No. 3, he can sneak in for a place.
Golden Sentience is hit-and-miss, but on a good day, he can have a say.
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