Four-time New Zealand Group 1 winner Volkstok’n’barrell has been “caught behind the eight-ball” since he moved to Singapore, but trainer Donna Logan will not cut corners to get her champion back to the top.
Teething troubles are the norm for any new trainer moving to another country, but things have really not gone to plan for the son of Tavistock since he landed at the former Ruakaka handler’s new Kranji stables at the beginning of April.
With Logan herself getting “held up for a run” with a later start than anticipated to her Singapore stint earlier in the year, due to a swimming pool mishap that could have had much worse consequences, it had a knock-on effect on her horses’ arrivals.
Volkstok'n'barrell was one of the worst affected, more so when he had to be rushed to get ready for his main goal, the Invitational Group 1 Kranji Mile in May.
On class, the 2015 Rosehill Guineas winner would arguably have measured up against the opposition spearheaded by the Hong Kong duo of Southern Legend and Horse Of Fortune, even first-up from a five-month break. There was even some local rally around his chances, given he was the fourth most-backed Singapore-based runner ($77), but ill-prepared for the task, he beat one home, 11 lengths off the winner Southern Legend.
Logan has since backed him off, shifting to a new target - the Singapore Triple Crown series which kicks off with the Group 1 Raffles Cup (1600m) this Sunday.
But Volkstok’n’barrell is not in the line-up. Instead, he is first-up in the $125,000 Flax 2012 Stakes, a Kranji Stakes A Division 1 race over 1200m a few races before the Raffles Cup.
Again, Logan had lost the race against time to get him back to full fitness, but partly because of limited racing opportunities for the 108-point rated seven-year-old gelding.
“There are not many options for him. That’s why it took a little longer for him to make his comeback since the Kranji Mile,” said the New Zealand 850-odd race winner, who has up to now won three races from 39 runners at Kranji.
“He also had an underlying small issue that kept him in his box for six weeks. He had a tiny stress fracture under the left knee.
“That put him behind the eight-ball, just like he has been since he left New Zealand. He was actually behind schedule for two months.
“Right now, he is at a level where he is 25 kilos heavier than where he should have been. That was why we had to forget the Raffles Cup.
“We looked at the programme and spotted this Kranji Stakes A race over 1200m instead. He had a trial last week, and he will most probably need the run on Sunday.”
Logan has, however, not ruled out the rest of the series for her flagship horse.
“We’ll see how he goes on Sunday, and then he may go for a Kranji Stakes A race over 1400m on October 12. If all goes well, the QEII (Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup, which is the second Leg over 1800m) on October 21 is an option, and then the (Group 1 Dester Singapore) Gold Cup (the final Leg over 2000m on November 11).
“But if we’re not happy with the way he is going, we will relook everything for next year.
“He has been such a lovely horse to us, he’s been too good a horse to us. I wouldn’t just throw him in at the deep end if I know he can’t take it.
“I’d rather have a horse who is sound but unfit rather than a horse who is fit but not sound, if that makes sense.”
Volkstok’n’barrell had one barrier trial last Thursday when he was actually ridden positive by Nooresh Juglall to momentarily take the lead before he blew out inside the last 300m to finish second-last, more than 10 lengths off the winner Countofmontecristo.
It’s Kiwi jockey Alysha Collett who will ride Volkstok’n’barrell in Sunday’s race, which has been a little robbed of its gloss following the withdrawals of Zac Kasa and Mr Fantastic, but up against the likes of Aramco, Curvature, and even the up-in-class Eye Guy, Volkstok’n’barrell probably still has his job cut out.
