The A Team is back together again for the first leg of the 3yo Triple Crown with Joao Moreira atop again the Laurie Laxon trained Huka Falls.
Photo by Racing and Sports
Moreira selected Super Easy over Huka Falls last start and was right as he finished third and it a wilting fourth but when both got rolled it was a dampener all around.
Super Easy won this race last year for Moreira and Team Freedman and went on to take out the Triple Crown.
The ninth race on the card today is the S$250K G3 Singapore 3yo Sprint over 1200m on the long course A turf track so the run home is healthy.
Laxon has a good record in the race having won it with Why Be (2006), Big Maverick (2008) and Better Than Ever (2010).
Huka Falls back to his own age group from gate two at set weights looks a lock unless some rain softens the track as then that element of doubt creeps in.
It is hard to see him run over unless that last start fourth in the G3 Merlion Trophy flattened him as he did get burned along in front after a slightly tardy jump and had company across the top.
He is such a big and fast three-year-old that it is hard to tell as sprinting is his best skill.
I would use a turf win three starts ago as a better guide as he led and creamed the older sprinters on a yielding track in 1:09.49 although I suspect the footing was not too bad by then.
Moreira led clearly early then gave him a slight breather before asking for that second turn of foot he can produce and the result was an over one length win.
Tellingly he beat into fourth Speedy Cat (carried 6kg more) that day and it came out and won the G3 Merlion with just 2kg more that Huka Falls.
Hindsight is a wonderful wallet filler!
It tells you Huka Falls was not well rated last start in front but more importantly that his form is still sound.
Moreira has won seven of eight rides on Huka Falls and Laxon will be hoping his gun three-year-old with the right man back atop will flow along as per normal in the lead rather than race too fierce.
Stepitup could well be unbeaten with an ounce of luck and is a real pocket rocket as he can run quick time and can come from the back or be put into the race and kick.
He deserves his shot at the Triple Crown as after that last start win at 1400m in good time he will get the mile so is a chance in all three legs.
Unbeaten on turf and with a two dimensional racing style wise are both big ticks for Stepitup and he is a threat in the G3 feature today.
Ivaldo Santana gets a shot at some Group glory over the next month and a half for trainer Sonny Yeoh, who is assembling an ever-improving team.
The draw of nine would be a certain game changer for most but Stepitup has that secondary surge in his armoury and all will be found out today if he is indeed a Group horse in Singapore.
Michael Freedman has won this race twice with Mooring in 2009 and Super Easy last year.
He is not giving up the title easily and has three runners entered with the best chance the impressive Ronnie Brown, which has owners that are very vocal and supportive of their pride and joy.
They are in fact a human version of vuvuzelas and they go to town when Ronnie Brown hits the ground.
The son of Darci Brahma has won two of three on the turf and finished fourth the other time plus his last start poly win was devastating and the ears of all on course are still ringing.
Moreira rode Ronnie Brown last time but Nunes gets the suit-up call from Team Freedman and he has not let them down yet and in fact is building up a formidable pairing with the yard.
Cavallo and Super Good may not have the class of the three names above but the former has won second up and has upside and the latter is turf proven twice.
The interesting runner is Southern Lord second up for Mark Walker having come from New Zealand as a G1 mile winner already.
I would dismiss his first up miss on the poly as he sat very wide and did loom briefly before wilting.
Expect a huge turnaround onto the turf today and as the distances increase in the Triple Crown he will get better and better.
He may well be overs in this and with Alan Munro atop you can expect a tactically sound ride.
There are some nice three-year-olds in the field and this as usual will be a wonder source for multiple winners to come over a long period of time.
Remember even the also rans are a future goldmine.
Huka Falls back against his own age with the 2012 Premiership winning pairing back together of Moreira and Laxon spells a clear cut win.
The obvious two threats are the untapped Stepitup and the showy Ronnie Brown, while the overs runner is Southern Lord.
Enjoy the first leg of what is a tremendous Triple Crown.
