Impressive Kildare passes first big test
Derek Cruz kept his New Year record intact as Kildare stepped 'in with the big boys' for yesterday's Group Three Chow Tai Fook Bauhinia Sprint (1,000m) and came out with his big reputation only enhanced.
The lightly raced four-year-old gave Cruz, jockey Howard Cheng Yue-tin and his supporters a few anxious moments after getting lost in the early stages, but showed his dashing acceleration when it was needed to become the first trainer's syndicate horse to win at Group level and Cruz's second for 2009 after Joy And Fun's victory on New Year's Day.
Kildare had been ultra impressive coming through the classes rapidly, with the handicapper's help, in recent starts but lining up this time was the first test of a series coming up.
'Well you can call it whatever you like - Premier class, Group class or whatever - but today these are the big boys and Kildare has really made a name for himself now,' Cruz said.
'In those two wins recently, they really banged it on him in the ratings but the handicapper got it spot on - Kildare has proved today that he is a good horse and deserves to be racing in this company.'
Exalted company, too, with Kildare leaving in his wake the Hong Kong Sprint winner Inspiration along with fourth-placed Enthused and fifth-placed Sunny Power, but not without the odd grey hair along the way.
'Kildare was the first to be put into the gates today and Howard said the horse got a bit hesitant being in there so long,' Cruz said.
'Because of that he stepped out a bit awkwardly, got bumped and got back in the field.
'I was a bit worried about all the traffic in front of him at the 300m.
'But Howard kept angling for the runs, they kept coming and he took them well.' Assisted by his light weight, Kildare's turn of foot put him back in the race when all might well have been lost.
But Cruz knows this was just the first big test for the gelding, who will get a little more of a break between runs before he takes on the Group One Centenary Sprint Cup on February 1.
'That's another test again because he will meet these horses with them all carrying 126 pounds, but my horse is going well and improving all the time,' Cruz said.
The programming of yesterday's sprint meant Cruz had to come back to the races with Kildare nine days after his previous start or miss his bridge into the feature sprints, but the trainer was never concerned.
'The last 50 metres of the previous run, Howard gave him a very easy time of it so I was always confident that he would cope with another race,' Cruz said.
'But there's enough time between now and the Centenary Sprint Cup that I can go a little easy on him for a few days before I train him again for that race.'
