3 minute read
This Sunday's Group 3 Garden City Trophy (1200m) will see smart sprinter Ace Aliado (pictured above) make his much-awaited racing comeback following an 18-month absence.
A winner at all but the last of his eight runs when a nose-second, the now six-year-old son of Towkay has shuttled up and down the Causeway and transited through a couple of trainers before coming full circle to his original trainer Laurie Laxon.
From humble beginnings in Restricted Maiden company, Ace Aliado made a meteoric rise through the Kranji sprinting ranks to emerge as one of the leading lights in the 2009 season when he racked up seven wins in a row with the icing on the cake being the EW Barker Trophy in November 2009.
He defeated stablemate Good Feel by a head in the Group 2 event over 1400m before the latter squared the ledger by inflicting him his first and only defeat at his return from a five-month spell.
It was the first time the New Zealand-bred was not visiting the winner's box – and soon after he was also bidding farewell to his own box at Laxon's yard.
Ace Aliado was one of several other horses racing under the ACE Stable (who raced him in partnership with the Midas Touch Stable) to move to other trainers. He first went to Michael Freedman but following another split, he ended up with Desmond Koh, but never got a chance to start for either trainer.
Besides the trainer's musical chair, a non-career-threatening injury to his digital flexor tendon also kept the earner of close to half-a-million dollar on the sidelines. A therapeutic stay up North in Ipoh with trainer John McGillivray was just the change of air he needed before joint-owners Sam Owen and Albert Quek decided to “boomerang” him back to Laxon.
“We sat and talked and I was glad to have him back because he's been a very good horse to me,” said Laxon.
“Not many horses can boast such a record. He always puts in 100% and answered the question every time we raised the bar.
“He hurt his digital flexor tendon which necessitated him having to be spelled. He spent time in Malaysia with John McGillivray and has come back in good shape.
“I gave him two trials to ascertain if he was good enough to be on the way back. He passed both of them very well.”
Laxon said Ace Aliado would still need to pass a final examination before he gets the all-clear to line up in the Garden City Trophy, a race won by Singapore sprint superstar Rocket Man last year.
“He needs to pass a vet test tomorrow (Wednesday) morning and he will be all good to go,” said the Kiwi conditioner.
“It's been more than a year he has not raced and I'm sure he will be entitled to need the run.
“But then again, he won first-up when he had not raced for three years. He should be right.”
Laxon's cheeky punchline was of course an allusion to the fact Ace Aliado won at his Kranji debut on January 18, 2009 as an unraced newcomer.
Ace Aliado will get the services of someone who boasts a 100% strike rate with him. Premiership leading jockey Joao Moreira, who rode him once for a win, was snapped up after he became available following the non-acceptance of Northern Lion in the Group 3 race.
Laxon said the 10-horse field was not without depth, especially with classy opponents like trainer Patrick Shaw's redoubtable duo of Ato and Argy Bargy as well as Freedman's Better Be The One in the mix.
“It's a strong field and it'll be tough to run up against such quality horses first-up, no doubt,” said Laxon.
“But this race suits and we had to start somewhere. He's fit and well and he will surely improve from whatever he does on Sunday.
“The most important thing at this stage is to see him come back safe and sound after the race. From there we can decide where to go with him.”
