3 minute read
All the pre-race hype had centred around South African newcomer Katak in the run-up to Saturday’s headline event, the $85,000 Class 2 Division 1 race (1200m) on Polytrack, but it was one of the forgotten horses, Gold Star who stole the thunder.
The $117 payout said it all, but one person who was not as knocked off his socks was trainer Tim Fitzsimmons.
With an unproven Polytrack record that reads one third in two tries, and a higher propensity for 1400m-1600m races (four of his previous five wins were recorded over seven furlongs), it'd take a brave man to tip Gold Star against the likes of Sacred Gift, Nowyousee or even Katak on his class factor.
But Fitzsimmons had a hunch the Redente six-year-old could upset the applecart.
"You need to change things up with those old horses sometimes. Gold Star had 27 starts, so it was worth mixing things up," he said.
"I put the blinkers on for the first time. I gave him a couple of jumps with blinkers and the gallops were exceptional.
"I was actually quietly confident as he's a horse who's never run a bad race. His form has been good and he has so much ability.
"The blinkers gave him a few extra lengths, and Danny rode him great.
"He has run on Polytrack twice, at his debut for Cliff when he ran third and also at his first run for me when he didn't do as well. Now that we've added a string to his bow, it gives us a few more options."
The speed was hot in front with I Am Sacred (Mohd Zaki) hurtling along the rails upfront with a cluttered-up pack in hot pursuit, Augustano (Jerlyn Seow Poh Hui), Safeer (Oscar Chavez), Pennywise (Juan Paul van der Merwe), and surprisingly, Katak (Marc Lerner) who was one of the quickest beginners, but coursing out four deep the whole way around.
Such a script could only play into the hands of a backmarker, and between the two tailenders Gold Star and Sincerely (Simon Kok Wei Hoong), the former was travelling a lot better upon straightening.
As he darted underneath the fast-weakening Katak, daylight beckoned inside the last 150m, which he lapped up with a pulsating turn of foot.
Nowyousee (Wong Chin Chuen) clocked in late but Gold Star had already flown out of reach 2 ½ lengths ahead. Sacred Gift took third place another three parts of a length away. The winning time was 1min 11.11secs for the Polytrack 1200m.
With that sixth win from 28 starts, Gold Star has now amassed in excess of $350,000 in stakes earnings for the Gold Stable.
Gold Star also handed Fitzsimmons yet another training double (after Hero and Nate's Honour on August 15 and Lucky Jinsha and Illustrious on August 22) following $36 chance Mister Dynamo's (Shafiq Rizuan) return to form in the second race, the $30,000 Class 5 race over 1000m.
And throw in his former boss Cliff Brown's The Inferno Group 2 win at Moonee Valley in Melbourne (see previous report), Fitzsimmons had every reason to feel on Cloud Nine.
"It's been a great day," said Fitzsimmons who branched out on his own in 2019 after 11 years working with Brown as his assistant-trainer at Kranji.
"It was absolute mayhem with a lot of trainers in the room roaring Inferno home."