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James Peters gives Skywalk a decent chance in the $200,000 Group 3 Garden City Trophy (1200m) in spite of two daunting factors in the equation: Turf and Be Bee.
The English handler said the feature race had always been on the Battle Paint five-year-old’s agenda even if five of his seven wins have occurred on Polytrack.
Even the Korea Racing Trophy (1200m) he won two starts back in July was more of a lead-up to the Garden City Trophy, Sunday’s supporting act to the $1 million Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m).
“Skywalk won a nice race in the KRA Trophy, but the Garden City has always been the longer-term target for him,” said Peters.
“It’s a nice race for him in terms of conditions. He is well-in as he is a high-rated horse (100 points) but gets in at 52kgs.
“The only thing is he is going back onto the turf. His better form has been on the Polytrack.”
The China Horse Club-owned gelding does boast two wins on grass around two years ago, with his more recent outings not yielding the same results, but Peters might have an explanation – he won on top of the ground. At his last two defeats, including the Group 1 Lion City Cup (1200m), the going was yielding.
“I just don’t want the track to be too wet. In the Lion City Cup, he had a soft track, and he never got going,” said Peters who sits mid-table on 29 winners, but only five winners off his 2017 score.
“He needs a sound surface.”
And to Peters, he also needs to beat Shane Baertschiger’s Be Bee, an impressive winner first-up from a four-month break since a fairly successful Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge campaign in which he won the first Leg, the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1200m).
“Be Bee will be the horse to beat. He’s nicely weighted (55.5kgs) and so are some of the horses who also got in at a low weight,” said Peters.
“It’s a competitive race, he’s drawn well in four and fingers crosses, he can run well.”
Skywalk will be ridden by Australian jockey Daniel Moor, who in two previous associations, including the Lion City Cup, has not been able to score on him.