Silver Blaze creates a big impression

A horse bred to go 2,400 metres plus, but with the speed to win over 1,000m on debut. It sounds like the recipe for a thoroughbred champion and, while that kind of accolade may be a long way off, the career of Silver Blaze is at least off and running after his debut assignment.

Silver Blaze, trained by Dennis Yip Chor-hong, was the opening leg of a Brett Prebble three-timer, and none of it came as any surprise to him.

In fact, Prebble took the knowledge of Silver Blaze's stout pedigree as a key ingredient in formulating his winning strategy, knowing that if the three-year-old was in front 400m from home, he wouldn't be found wanting at the business end.

'I know it's very unusual, especially in a place where there are so many horses bred for speed, to find a horse like this that's bred to really stay,' Prebble said. 'And when they are, they would never normally have this horse's speed.

'But what he showed in his barrier trial [winning at 800m] told us he has all the speed you could want in a young horse and the pedigree to go any distance you want as well.'

Silver Blaze, backed down from $100 to $68.50, was sent to the front from the outset down the straight 1,000m course and travelled strongly throughout.

Prebble engaged him fully at the 400m and, although the steely grey shifted ground momentarily under pressure, he picked himself up again and hit the line strongly to easily stave off late closers Bejeweled and Lucky Quality.