Talk of Cajun Beat brings out Cruz's fighting instincts
Tony Cruz was in a bullish mood at yesterday's Breakfast with the Stars promotion at Nad al Sheba racecourse, pumping up the American media about the chances of Hong Kong speed demon Multidandy.
The Americans don't really care anything about Multidandy, other than he's a rival of their Breeders' Cup Sprint hero Cajun Beat, currently 7-4 favourite for the US$2 million Golden Shaheen with UK bookmakers.
'Who do you think will be the hardest to beat?' the interviewer asked, having just spoken about Cajun Beat and therefore doing everything except hold up cue cards in front of the trainer.
Cruz, in diplomatic mode, said all the right things. 'Cajun Beat is a very fast horse, a very good horse, and I'm sure he'll be the one to beat. I definitely respect him,' Cruz said.
Suddenly, the competitor in Cruz - which runs all the way to his bone marrow - started to kick in.
'We respect him, but after the race he might be the one respecting us,' Cruz said. 'Multidandy is a very fast horse, and he loves this dirt. We'll be getting out fast and we'll be going for it, pedal to the metal. We'll be right there with Cajun Beat.'