CZAR HOLDS NERVE TO SHOW HIS TRUE COLOURS
Three-year-old Czar Of Prussia had his nerve well and truly tested yesterday before winning his second race on end in the all-weather sixth event. Trainer David Oughton had been disappointed with the gelding's prior win at Happy Valley, when he appeared to make hard work of it at the finish, but he was all smiles as the gelding brushed aside a potentially unsettling moment at the gates yesterday to win handsomely.
'He does like the all-weather but I think he was a better horse today - better mentally - and Douglas Whyte gave him a fabulous ride. I think he's going places this jockey,' Oughton quipped.
Prior to Happy Valley, Czar Of Prussia had been frightened, thrashing about inside the gates in an incident which prompted his withdrawal from a race on the all-weather. As if he needed it, his temperament got another workout at the same venue yesterday.
He was still circling behind the gates as Watch Me Win broke away at the start, galloped a lap of the track then shaped to run headlong into the stalls as he came around again. Watch Me Win turned in time to avoid total disaster but crashed sideways into the back of the middle starting gates.
Czar Of Prussia remained unfazed by the action around him, moved in quickly once Watch Me Win was scratched, and proved superior again. 'At Happy Valley he had a nice run and won, but he made it look like hard work. I don't think he was right - going to the races for the first time after that incident, he was remembering that and wasn't at the top of his game,' Oughton said. He added the colt had just about done his job this season and would have a short break. 'He may come back for another race towards the tail of the season, but Czar Of Prussia isn't a big horse and I'm not keen to give him too much to do.'
