Follow Arion Passion
Young-trained 4YO NZ-bred ticks all the boxes for his third Class 5 success
Class 5 events are not the type of races you would go to looking for the best bets.
The horses at this lowest class are as unpredictable as the weather.
But, when it is not an easy day and the standout horse is from this class, you can make it one of the rare exceptions.
The horse I am referring to is the Young Keah Yong-trained Arion Passion in the sixth of 11 races on tomorrow's card - the $30,000 Class 5 dash over the Polytrack 1,000m.
Formerly known as River Roca, the four-year-old New Zealand-bred has been knocking on the door since dropping back to Class 5 three starts ago.
The bay gelding had four starts in Class 4 following his back-to-back Class 5 victories and was a good third to Surge in a fast-run sprint over the Poly 1,000m.
It was on the first of his four runs in that class.
After being a backmarker behind stablemate Bionics in his Class 5 comeback on April 10, Arion Passion found his mojo again.
He improved to finish a close third to St Alwyn with a more forward run over the Poly 1,200m.
But the race report said he raced keenly in the early and middle stages. He then became awkwardly placed on heels for some distance near 800m mark.
This probably hampered his chances of winning. He lost by by less than a length.
With his form exposed back in Class 5, he was made the $9 favourite at his last start on May 15, when he reverted to the Poly 1,000m.
Jockey Oscar Chavez managed to get him to the front from the word "go" - the running style which secured him a Class 5 running double late last year.
He raced more generously and looked the winner until the Ricardo Le Grange-trained Yes One Ball collared him within the shadows of the winning post. He went down fighting by a mere neck.
Young has found a winnable Class 5 race for his charge tomorrow and his chances have been bolstered with a perfect draw.
From Gate 1, he will get the shortest route home.
Form-wise, he is as fit as can be. Chavez took his mount out for a 600m spin on Tuesday morning and the combination caught the eye by clocking a swift 36.3sec.
He makes a logical top choice since he ticks all the right boxes and is back in his winning class.
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