Silent Is Gold ready to make some noise

If there is a horse deserving of a place in your notebook, it has to be Silent Is Gold.

Indeed, and contrary to what his name does seem to suggest, this son of Star Turn could be one of those making a big racket in the season just ahead.

Those who saw him work with gusto on Saturday morning would have liked that showing.

That day, he went over the 600m in an easy 41.1sec.

Well, his trainer Stephen Gray saw it fit to send him to the trials on Tuesday morning and he seemed to step up on that trackwork form, winning his trial with something still left in the tank.

Yes, Silent Is Gold is better than the big shows we saw from him in the season just concluded.

Back then, he already showed signs of greater things to come.

At a time when many thought that things were still on the drawing board, he put in three wins and a couple of seconds.

And all from just nine starts, beginning in late February.

By any measure, it was a season to remember for horse, trainer and the Buddy Buddy Stable.

So, if anything, his trial would have served to confirm the promise which Silent Is Gold holds in reserve and the torment he could unleash on his rivals.

Ridden by apprentice Fahmi Rosman in Trial No. 3, Silent Is Gold jumped cleanly from Gate 2 and dictated the proceedings.

Cash Cove, the mount of Manoel Nunes, and Big Bear, ridden by Wong Chin Chuen, stayed in touch but never got to his withers.

Into the home stretch and Cash Cove, trainer Alwin Tan’s promising galloper, put a dent into Silent Is Gold’s lead. As did Silent Is Gold’s stablemate Our Pinnacle (Shafrizal Saleh).

But Silent Is Gold was not to be overtaken.

Running as if in contempt of his rivals, he went to the line a neck in front of Our Pinnacle. A further head away, in third spot, came Cash Cove.

Still a four-year-old, Gray’s runner will open his season on the back of a last-start second behind Moongate Star.

That day, the margin was a ½-length and Silent Is Gold had to do it the hard way, racing wide for most of the journey.

Be in his corner when he next goes to the races. Another win could be in the offing.

Gray also produced another willing worker at the trials.

His name is Ksatria and, although he did not break any land speed record, he did turn in a last-to-first showing when winning in 1min 2.5sec.

Ridden by apprentice Jamil Sarwi, Ksatria ambled out of the gates and settled in last spot.

When the five-horse field made that first left-handed turn, he was about seven lengths from the leaders, Master Of Coin (Matthew Kellady) and Invincible Tycoon (Wong).

He finally got into his rhythm at the 600m and quickly latched onto the leading duo and third-placed Missile Rain, the mount of Koh Teck Huat.

Showing great foresight, Jamil peeled Ksatria from his spot near the rails and went wide. It was a winning move as Ksatria, relishing the wind in his face, opened up to take the trial by ½-length.

Gray would have been pleased. His two-time winner seemed in the groove and could be a factor in Saturday’s Class 4 race (1,700m).

Another one worth saving in your memory bank is Petrograd.

Ridden by Nunes, he finished second to Hurricane Mars (Saifudin Ismail) but it was only over the final furlong that he came under notice.

Then again, until he threw down the gauntlet, Petrograd and Nunes had stalked the frontrunners like a hungry hyena.

A furlong out and Nunes clicked him into action. He responded, pounced and almost caught Hurricane Mars.

He missed out by a shorthead but it would have sent signals through the Michael Clements’ camp that their boy was ready, willing and, most importantly, able.