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While the Group 3 Silver Bowl (1400m) on Sunday week was a possible target for Silent Is Gold, trainer Stephen Gray said the condition weights of Saturday’s $110,000 Group 3 Kranji Sprint (1200m) were too good to miss for his rising star.
The four-year-old son of Star Turn will carry just 53kgs at the race conditions. While he is up against some proven Group performers in King Arthur and Mr Malek , his astute New Zealand conditioner thought the light weight over 1200m is ideal.
A forward run is again expected by the on-pace runner on Saturday and with his biggest danger - the in-form Sky Eye – carrying the top weight of 57kgs, Gray hoped that the pull in weights could make the difference at the final 100m.
Even if Silent Is Gold is still being nominated for the first Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge next Sunday, winning the Kranji Sprint was the only focus in the Gray's yard this week.
"You have to pick races you can win," said Gray, who also saddles Kharisma in the first Leg of the STC Super Sprint series.
"We had options with the Silver Bowl next week and we may still go there, but that race is run at equal weights against some smart four-year-olds like Super Salute and Golden Monkey, so 53kgs in the Kranji Sprint was the better race.
"Obviously, we still have to beat some good horses on Saturday – (trainer) Donna's (Logan) horse (King Of Arthur) is very good on his day and Sky Eye is in terrific form – but that little bit of pull in weights could make the difference between us winning a Group race or not."
When Gray chose the 'right path' for Silent Is Gold, he was definitely adhering to the old trainers' adage of 'keeping yourself in the best company and your horses in the worst'. For now, he cannot be happier with how the five-time winner is going.
"He would be a nice horse to own, wouldn't he?" continued Gray.
"He never runs a bad race and he's really matured into a relaxed horse and in the right mode now. That makes my job easier.
"We have given him a nice freshen-up since his last win over 1400m (in a Class 3 race on April 29) and (jockey) Ronnie (Stewart) was happy with how he trialled the other day (won trial no. 3 on May 23 in the time of 1 min 0.13secs).
"He (Silent Is Gold) always turns up. He runs into a better one at times but Ronnie gets on really well with him, so I expect a good run."
Like Silent Is Gold, another Gray runner on Saturday that shows up more times than not was Prioritize. The affable Kiwi trainer reckoned that blinkers may do the trick in the $50,000 Ghozi 2011 Stakes, a Class 4 race over 2000m.
"It was a 50-50 call," explained Gray about adding blinkers to the son of Proisir for the first time over 2000m.
"He (Prioritize) obviously doesn't need to find much to win again but I had a good chat with (B-trainer) Saimee (Jumaat) and we thought we would give them (blinkers) a go this week to see how he goes.
"(Eight-time Singapore champion jockey) Saimee is a good friend but more importantly one of the most experienced horsemen in Singapore and a great asset to the stable. We can make decisions together and I think we get it right more times than wrong.
"While it was hard to fault his (Prioritize) form, he does have to keep focused for four corners over 2000m. And if they (blinkers) do stop him gawking at stages and improve him a length or two, then we have that option to use them in races going forward.
"He's a promising stayer and races like the (Group 1) (Singapore) Derby (1800m) or the (Group 1) (Singapore) Gold Cup (2000m) are on his agenda this year.
"(Jockey) Manoel (Nunes) stays on and while he (Prioritize) has yet to win on the turf, I think it will be his best surface and he can show us that on Saturday with the blinkers on.
"You don't know unless you try and we're always trying."
Held on July 23, the Singapore Derby is the third and final Leg of the Singapore 4YO series while the Singapore Gold Cup, the third and last Leg of the Singapore Triple Crown series, will be run on November 11.
