Top jockey Corey Brown hopes there won’t be any hangover from Kratos’s almost “drunken” run at his last start this Friday.
The Cliff Brown-trained three-year-old grey looked all poised to run away an easy winner in a Restricted Maiden race over 1000m on October 14 when from the moment he cornered, he suddenly shifted across the whole length of the track for no reason.
Current leading apprentice jockey Wong Chin Chuen tried his best to steer him back on the straight and narrow, but it was clear horse was winning the battle over human in both the physical and mental department at that stage.
Wong even looked like he would get unseated as he struggled to assist his wayward mount while trying to stay balanced in a shifting saddle. He somehow managed to not part company, but the increasingly uncontrollable last 300m proved costly as they were in the end beaten a neck by Halo Bright (Manoel Nunes), who was himself badly hampered by Kratos in his “wild run”
Brown is tasking his namesake rider (but of no relation) with the job to mind Kratos’s meandering manners in Friday’s $75,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1000m, with the Australian rider ready for the challenge.
“I rode Kratos in a barrier trial last week and he went really well, but again I could tell, he got a bit confused when he heard a horse coming from behind,” said Brown.
“He’s by no means a hard horse to ride, but I think he’s just field-shy, which is a bit funny as that day with CC Wong, he was running towards the other horses, but I reckon that’s his problem.
“And the thing with horses is the younger they are, the more they will sometimes remember what happened to them that day if something got out of hand and they may bring it to their next races.
“I hope not. The earmuffs are going on this time and I hope he will be able to run better.
“He should have won easily on that day as he’s a lovely horse with a lot of upsides. Unfortunately, he ran off the track and he took control over CC and his saddle slipped as well.”
Brown actually knows the son of Guillotine very well for having begun his early prep as a two-year-old. The gelding was well-fancied at his debut in the first Leg of the Singapore Golden Horseshoe series, the Kranji Nursery Stakes over 1000m on April 10, but weakened to run ninth to Jupiter Gold.
Raced by the Olympian Stable of Astley Phua, Kratos has since been sent back to the paddock before making that racing comeback where all went well until he snapped inside the last 600m.
Kratos will again face Restricted Maiden company which features no real standout other than perhaps the resuming Cadet from the powerful Patrick Shaw yard, another former two-year-old who ran a seventh and a fourth in two runs before being spelled.
The unknown quantities come from trainer Daniel Meagher who tosses into the arena three debutants into the race, namely Beijing Star, Dayflirt and Elite Gold, but Brown the jockey is unfazed.
“On paper, my horse should win. I just hope he mends his ways,” said Brown.
