Deimos shows muscle in smart trial win
He's the Greek God Of Terror - and they don't come scarier than that. So, the rest had better be wary of DEIMOS when they come up against him in Sunday's Class 4 Division 2 sprint over the 1,200m.
One of many talented youngsters brought in by Olympian Stable, he impressed at the trials on Tuesday and, on that effort, he must go into your shortlist as a definite "horse to follow".
Jumping from three in a packed 10-horse trial, Deimos led when they made that first turn on the far side but was given a breather by jockey Gerald Mosse who settled him in fourth when they cleared the 600m.
Turning for the run home, a it did look like he had found himself in pocket.
But Mosse, being the maestro he is, peeled him out and when the chestnut saw daylight, the others saw doom.
In a flash, the God Of Terror laid siege on his rivals, picked them off one by one and, with the finish looming up, he was home and hosed.
Deimos would eventually win by half a length and in a time of 62.03sec.
STRUT AND STYLE
Not much, some will say. But it was the way he went to the line - pulling away with strut and style - which impressed.
Yes, since winning at his last start in late-November, trainer Cliff Brown has kept the polish on his youngster and, we all saw just what a smart victory it was.
Let's recap. Ridden by Mosse, he had the run of the race from his spot in fourth place.
Indeed, the frontrunners were always in his crosshairs and it was only a matter of time before he reeled them in like lambs to the slaughter.
As it panned out, Deimos crossed the line with plenty still left in the tank. That was his third race start.
The earlier two, which were run in May, yielded a second-placed finish in a race which was decided by the bob of the head and a third to recent winner Jupiter Gold.
Now in Class 4, Deimos has all that it takes to land a race-to-race double - and Tuesday's trial was just the tonic he needed to keep him on his toes for Sunday's assignment.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now