SINGAPORE: Dragon Has The Spirit

Tuesday, 12 June 2012: Three-year-old Dragon Spirit defied his hefty impost to notch a winning hat-trick in taking the $75,000 Kranji Stakes C over 1000m on the Polytrack on Sunday.

Dragon Spirit Photo by Singapore Turf Club

The victory gave Dragon Spirit  his fourth win from his last seven starts which also includes three second placings.

Ridden by Danny Beasley, Dragon Spirit outsped his rivals to an all-the-way victory by three-and-three-quarter lengths over Raging Storm  (Alan Munro) with Andiko  (Saifudin Ismail) three-quarters-of-a-length away third.

Trainer Theo Kieser said he would wait and see how the handicapper assessed the victory before deciding on his next plan of attack with the gelding.

Kieser said Dragon Spirit had been off the scene for a while following a back operation and since undergoing the “surgeon's knife” had returned in top form.

“He had to have a back operation and was off the scene for quite some time,” said Kieser.

“It took him quite some time to get over it but he's come good and we'll just keep plodding along with him.

“If he looks like going over the top then we will stop him and give him a bit of a break then.”

Kieser said Beasley has been riding the gelding in work of late and has seen the continued improvement in the three-year-old.

“Danny galloped him on Wednesday morning and said he had improved from his previous run,” said Kieser.

“Danny was certainly right on the button as he was again winning quite comfortably again today.”

Beasley was taken with the victory and praised the training effort of Kieser in preparing him for a winning hat-trick.

“He's flying this horse,” said Beasley. “I've been riding him a bit of work of late.

“I said to Theo after his gallop on Wednesday that if he hadn't improved three lengths then I'd walk to Perth and back.

“He's carried 58kg today and run 59 seconds on a track that I would rate as soft.

“I've got on him at the right time. Ollie  (Olivier Placais) did a lot of the work on him early door and I've just stepped in and taken over and we've won three in a row.

“What I like about him is the way he travels in a race, but he then gives you a beautiful kick when you ask for it.”

By Due Sasso  from the Don't Say Halo mare Icicles , Dragon Spirit landed his fourth win from 11 starts with a further five minor placings and edged his way closer to the $200,000 prizemoney mark for owner Tan Gim Guan.