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Game galloper Ready To Strike booked his ticket to next Sunday’s Group 3 Marsiling Classic Stakes (1800m) following a fighting win in the $95,000 Open Benchmark 83 race over 1600m on Polytrack on Sunday.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
Ridden by leading jockey Joao Moreira, the Colombia five-year-old looked poised to cruise to an easy win when he set sail for the winning post at the top of the straight after improving three wide from the 800m, but from the pack emerged Iluminado (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) with a searching run on the inside.
The handy Steven Burridge-trained Argentinian-bred took a slender advantage with 50m to go, but under Moreira’s strong urgings, Ready To Strike, who was shouldering the steadier of 59kg, turned the tide to get his nose right back in front in the nick of time.
Sent out as the $18 favourite, Ready To Strike was recording his sixth win from 23 starts for stakes earnings in excess of $230,000 for his owners.
While the gallant gelding, who races in the same V-Day Stable colours as their former Group 1 winner Intercept (Patron’s Bowl), is confirmed to back up in the Marsiling Classic Stakes next Sunday, Moreira will have to sit out that ride. Ironically, he copped a two-day ban after being found guilty of careless riding aboard one of Laxon’s runners, Profound.
“Moreira is suspended next week. We are in talks with Alan Munro for the ride,” said winning trainer Laurie Laxon.
“It all depends if Taky (Hideyuki Takaoka) has any runner in that race I guess. He’ll give us an answer tonight.
“I wasn’t worried about the 59kg today as he’s won with 58kg before. Joao got him rolling early and that paid off.
“That 1600m race suited him perfectly and we went for it. That should bring him on nicely for Sunday’s race.
“The horse he beat is a pretty handy horse. It was payback on Steven as Ready To Strike lost by a short margin to his horse (Darien Gap) at his last start.”
Ready To Strike did raise some concerns when he returned lame after that race, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
“Joao told us he probably knocked his tendons when he changed stride in the home straight,” said assistant-trainer Shane Ellis.
“We had it scanned and poulticed as well, but he was fine the next day.”
