It was somewhat surprising to see the Stephen Crutchley-trained Silo nominated for the $75,000 Class 3 race (1400m) this Saturday.
After an easy last-start win in a Class 4 race (1200m) on 30 December, it was reported that Silo had run his last race in Singapore and would continue his racing career on the lucrative Hong Kong circuit.
His flight was booked for 29 February and it still is a done deal, but connections had a slight change of heart about not racing him before his departure. After consultation with the owners, the Toast Trusts & Silo Stable, Crutchley believed another run on Saturday would be ideal for the son of National Defense before he goes into a 21-day quarantine and head to his new home in Hong Kong.
“Yes, he’s still going,” said the Kiwi conditioner.
“We thought that last run (on 30 December) would be it for Singapore but he pulled up so well.
“It was not ideal to have him all geared up before he heads into a 21-day quarantine as we didn’t want him to hurt himself, so another run will definitely take the edge off. We will change his feed after the run too and that will also help.
“It’s the same connections. (Owner) Constance (Cheng) will be racing him in Hong Kong, so it was the best decision for the horse and he can pick up some travelling money too (laughs).”
While the extra run on Saturday was a well-considered afterthought, it was a race Silo can win. Crutchley was confident of a bold showing over the trip that suits.
“I think 1400m is perfect for him after what he showed at his last start,” he said of the Australian-bred colt, who will be trained by Australian Mark Newnham in Hong Kong.
“(Jockey) Vlad (Duric) was full of praise at the way he hit the line after he jumped off him that day.
“And after his recent trial (won trial no 5 in the time of 1 min 1.12secs on 18 January), Vlad thought he was ready to win again and 1400m would be ideal.
“He’s (Duric) a good jockey and a good judge too, so while it’s a step-up in Class and a couple (of the other runners) looks to be handy types, I’m pretty happy with how Silo is going into Saturday’s race.”
Though he has yet to register a victory beyond 1200m and will be having his first run in Class 3 company, Crutchley’s assurance stemmed from the fact the three-year-old not only has three wins to his name, he also has yet to miss a place from seven starts.
Crutchley even thought a couple of those placings, including one over 1400m when he finished second to Ace Of Diamonds in Novice company on 11 November, could have been wins.
“Take nothing away from the winner (Ace Of Diamonds) but I thought Silo could have won that day,” he lamented.
“He (Silo) was wide without cover throughout and was making good ground late. It looked like he was going to go very close but (jockey) Bruno (Queiroz) dropped the whip at the 100m. You could see that stopped his momentum.
“He also did it tough with a wide run in the (Group 3) (Singapore) Golden Horseshoe (1200m on 23 July) and he should have won that race. He has improved since then.”
By Larry Foley, Singapore Turf Club
