'You have to be in it to win it'
His main target is the 2,000m Derby but Baertschiger says Preditor is fit for the 1,400m Stewards' Cup
With all the spotlight on the likes of Debt Collector, Lim's Cruiser and Infantry, trainer Shane Baertschiger is happy his horse Preditor is likely to slip unnoticed in the $300,000 Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1,400m) on Sunday.
He is engaging the Savabeel entire, who he also owns, in the first leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge as it has always been the plan for the two-time Kranji winner to tackle all three legs.
The second leg is the Group 1 Patron's Bowl (1,600m) on June 18, but the Australian conditioner believes the horse will get his eye in as he moves towards his main target, the third leg, the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (2,000m) on July 9.
"Preditor is more of a Derby horse. He is by Savabeel, and needs more ground," said the Australian.
"He had a break after his last run and he got a nice freshen-up. He trialled very well last Thursday."
Baertschiger is, however, not reading too much into the fact his horse won that trial which was almost like a dress rehearsal of sorts for the Stewards' Cup.
After jumping from the inside alley, Preditor came off an ideal spot in fourth on the rails to go and score a handsome win from four other Stewards' Cup nominations: Alibi (second), Debt Collector (third), Infantry (fourth) and Lim's Cruiser, (seventh).
"It will be a different ball game on Sunday, but you never know," said Baertschiger, who has already notched four feature race wins, all at Group 3 level, in five years of training at Kranji.
"The blinkers are going back on as he's dropping back to 1,400m. At his last race, he ran over 2,200m and he would have pulled too hard with the blinkers on.
"The horse is in good form, but his main target is the Derby.
"You have to be in it to win it, and we'll just have to see how he goes."
Looking at his resume in New Zealand, Preditor should not be out of his depth among the best four-year-olds in Singapore, especially over middle distances.
Known as Predator in New Zealand, where he was trained by the son of former Kranji handler Paddy Busuttin, Trent and partner Natalie Young, Preditor began his career in earnest with two wins over 1,400m and 1,818m.
He was then tested over bigger races last year, and even if he did not score, he did not disgrace himself in the Group 2 Avondale Guineas (2,100m) when seventh to Rangipo and in the Group 1 New Zealand Derby (2,400m) when again seventh to the same horse.
Yesterday's KL trackwork
WORKOUTS BY HORSES RUNNING ON SATURDAY
RACE 1: Teen Angel canter/pace work.
Tuesday: D'Great Hawk canter/pace work. Military Star * canter/pace work. Arlo pace work. My Touch * barrier/35.8. Little Man barrier/36.3.
RACE 2: Slow work: Sparkler *.
Tuesday: D'Great Victory canter/41.8. Fiorella canter/gallop. Sea Master canter/38.7. Fox Treasure canter/40.8. Dubleo Beauty 42.8. Will Be Better * barrier/36.3. True Heritage * canter/40. You Never Know * barrier/35.8.
RACE 3: Tuesday: Polo Boy 38.2. Wow pace work. Birralee Road 39.9. Full Bet 43.2. Acme 38.9. Fumio canter/39.3. Swan Song * canter/44.3. Chino Diablo canter/41.2. JP Regis * pace work.
RACE 4: Tuesday: Totality * canter/37.6. Lim's Admiral canter/40.5. Value Of Justice canter/gallop. Full Meaning pace work. Black Fiery * 41.8.
RACE 5: Tuesday: Lucky Sixtysix 42.6. More Power canter/39.2. Dominate 38.3. Spin Fire 42.2. Gold Kids 38.3. Twodollarmuppet pace work. D'Great Eminence canter/44. Reaching canter/pace work.
RACE 6: Slow work: Grande Affare *.
Tuesday: Magical Banker pace work. Little Lion * barrier/36. Lim's Mirage canter/42. Chase The Dream pace work. Crescendo pace work. Brilliant Star barrier/35.5. Just Duit 41.3. Sea Horizon canter/41.2. Numero Uno pace work.
RACE 7: Elegent canter/pace work.
Tuesday: Lonesome Me canter/gallop. Rush-More canter/41.2. Lim's Charge canter/40.8. Tilsworth Mali 37.8. Heirro pace work. Flying Neko pace work. Valberry canter/40.
RACE 8: Tuesday: Zhuhai * 42.7. Ideal Guide canter/38.8. Segar The Best * barrier/36. Shining Glory canter/42.8. Spade Of Ace canter/gallop. D'Great Rich canter/44.
RACE 9: Aud Dollar * canter/41.
Tuesday: Taffetas canter/40.2. Wild Geese barrier/36. Battle Horse canter/39. Captain Jazz 37. Pachelbel's Canon canter/40. Feisty Leo canter/pace work. Lee Bank * barrier/35.5. Badcoe pace work. Street Of London * pace work.
RACE 10: Tuesday: All Silver barrier/35.5. Acipenser * pace work. Blood Royal canter/gallop. Turned Out 37.8. D'Great Opulent canter/37.2.
RACE 11: Slow work: Perfect Pearl *.
Tuesday: Wonderful Surprise barrier/36. Flight Ofthe Saker canter/40. Perfect Pearl canter/pace work. Remember Me canter/pace work. Blossoms Sequel canter/40.2. Nova Cano * barrier/36. Sayang Me canter/41.6. Fast Rich canter/41. Lord Of Shanghai * canter/37.6. Wenona's Legacy canter/39.2.
Tuesday's Kranji barrier trial results
TRIAL 1
1 Ettijah (N Juglall)
2 Boy Wonder (M Nunes)
3 Yellow Jade Horse (D Beasley)
4 Best Dream (Y Salim)
Margins and time: Nk, 8¾, 2¼ (1min 00.76sec)
TRIAL 2
1 Kiss Your Song (J Powell)
2 Golden States (Juglall)
3 Phan Nee Star (Z Zuriman)
4 Satellite Golden
5 Parador (CC Wong)
6 Power Warrior (R Shafiq)
Margins and time: 1, ½, 4½, 3, 18 (1:02.22)
TRIAL 3
1 Winning Tango (O Chavez)
2 Gold Faith (A Munro)
3 Unconquered (V Duric)
4 Oliver (Powell)
5 Super Fortune (Beasley)
6 Anonymous
Margins and time: 3¾, 1, ns, hd, 19¾ (1:01.13)
TRIAL 4
1 Prince Alexander (Duric)
2 Chosen Harvest (Juglall)
3 Stay With Me
4 Snow Dancer (Chavez)
5 Native Luck (M Rodd)
6 North Sky (Powell)
Margins and time: 1¾, 2, 1¼, 7¼, ¾ (1:01.24)
TRIAL 5
1 Brilliant One (G Boss)
2 Jelly Bean (Powell)
3 Battle Of Troy (Munro)
4 Special Rain
5 Sun Mirage (CC Wong)
6 Presenting Win
7 D'Great Bullet (Beasley)
8 Flying Shadow (S John)
Margins and time: 1¼, ¾, 1¼, ¾, 2, ¾, 1 (1:01.76)
TRIAL 6
1 Run Cheetah Run
2 Wijaya (Wong)
3 First Choice
4 Sgfifty (I Saifudin)
5 Bristol Diamond (Beasley)
6 Singsurat (Rodd)
7 Nova Star (S Sam)
Margins and time: 1¾, 3, 6½, nk, ns, ¾ (1:00.95)
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