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Another big assignment is in store for the highly-rated Orakei Korako as his connections have earmarked the Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) on July 13 as the main target for the muscular New Zealand-bred galloper.
Preparations for the Laurie Laxon-trained gelding have begun in earnest as he took part in his first barrier trial on Tuesday following a 10-week break that started after his sensational second-place finish at last year’s Singapore Gold Cup on November 17.
“He’s had a nice spell away and has come back stronger. He’s grown up a bit and has filled out nicely, which is what we wanted for him,” said Laxon’s assistant trainer Shane Ellis, who was monitoring Orakei Korako’s progress while his boss was overseas.
The four-year-old by Any Suggestion clocked 1min 1.62secs in a light work-out with jockey Alan Munro in the irons, finishing third and just over half-a-length behind Damo.
“Very happy with his trial today, he ran very well and didn’t over exert himself,” said Munro, who partnered Orakei Korako once last year and saluted in a Class 4 race (1400m), one of the gelding’s three victories in 2013.
Ellis was also pleased with the run-out.
“It was supposed to be a pipe opener for him but he went better than I thought he would,” he said. “We will give him a harder work-out at next Tuesday’s trials before we send him for a 1600m race on turf Sunday week.
“The mission for him is the Derby and so we’re going to start cranking him up for that.”
An assault on all three legs of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge however, is unlikely given the nature of the first leg, the Stewards’ Cup (1400m) on June 1.
“We’ll probably skip that one since we plan to send him for a mile in his first-up and we don’t want him to race in something shorter after that,” said Ellis.
“So he’ll likely only race in the last two legs, the Patron’s Bowl (1600m) and the Singapore Derby (2000m). Anyway he’s a horse that likes the longer distance and seems to have gotten better in such races.”
Orakei Korako was purchased out of Hallmark’s 2011 Select Sale draft at Karaka, New Zealand by Kiwi trainer Laxon for NZ$110,000 on the recommendation of his friend and bloodstock agent Phil Cataldo.
Through eight starts, the gelding has won three times and ran second thrice, collecting just shy of $400,000 in stakes earnings for Laxon’s Silver Fern Racing Stable.
Seen as one of the emerging stars in Kranji after debuting last August, Orakei Korako, whose name means “The Hidden Valley” and has Maori origins like many of Laxon’s horses, almost capped his rise to prominence with a Group 1 victory but was narrowly edged out right at the death by champion stayer Tropaios.
“He was a bit unlucky in the Gold Cup but he lost to a horse with a much higher rating,” said Ellis.
“Right from the beginning we always felt he was going to be a top horse.”
And come that Sunday afternoon in July, if everything falls into place nicely, he could be the horse that gives Laxon his third Singapore Derby title.