Kinabalu Prince wants to be king
But trainer David Kok’s Sunday runner is the third reserve in the Restricted Maiden sprint
Right now, Kinabalu Prince is on the precipice.
He is the third of four reserves in Sunday’s Restricted Maiden event for two and three-year-olds.
For him to get a spot in the starting line-up, he will need more than a couple of runners to opt out or be scratched for whatever reasons.
It is not an ideal situation to be in – especially for a horse who seems to be in good-enough condition to run a big race.
But that is how the game works.
So, Kinabalu Prince has to wait. But, as we now know, he has not been idle.
Trainer David Kok, keen on keeping his galloper on its toes, sent the three-year-old to the trials at Kranji yesterday morning.
He would have been pleased with how the youngster went about his business.
It was, one could say, a “mature” gallop.
The “Prince” tacked onto the withers of the leader, Qaidoom.
He made his move only a furlong from home. Then, too, it was not a frenzied charge to the line.
In the saddle, Benny Woodworth, had held his mount together, matching whatever the leader tried to do.
Three hundred metres out, it looked like Qaidoom was going to hang on and steal the chocolates.
But Kinabalu Prince and Woodworth never did give up the chase.
As if speaking to his mount, Woodworth asked and the “Prince” did as he was told.
Eventually, it was an unhurried win.
Half a length was the margin and 60.47sec was the time for the 1,000m on the Polytrack.
But it was much more fluent than that.
Owned by the Sabah Racing Stable, Kinabalu Prince has had more trials than he has had races.
The score is eight trials against three races.
His best showing in a race was that last one when he ran fourth to Major King after beginning awkwardly.
Kok will agree that Kinabalu Prince is getting to a point where he can really start paying for his keep.
Hopefully, his next run will be a winning one – and the soonest will be Sunday if he gets a place.
In that same trial, runner-up Silent Partner also caught the eye.
Ridden by former jockey Erasmus Aslam, Silent Partner was a tad slow to leave the chutes and had to use up a lot of petrol just so as to keep in touch.
To his credit, the seven-year-old responded to some hard riding to sit third behind Qaidoom and Kinabalu Prince at the 600m mark.
Into the final stretch and the old fella did not give up the chase.
He went into overdrive and, at the post, he had nosed out Qaidoom for second spot.
Silent Partner had, in the past, proven a handful at the start.
In his last outing earlier this month, he messed it up real bad.
That day, when ridden by reigning champion jockey Hakim Kamaruddin, Silent Partner dug his heels in and eventually took no part in the proceedings.
Of course, the stewards were not impressed and sent him for a starting stall test.
That, he did – and they gave him a passing mark.
Silent Partner may be getting long in the tooth but, if he quits being a delinquent in the starting stalls, he could put in another win.
Flip the coin over and we have Liebestraum.
He is just a three-year-old but he is knocking at the door and it might soon open to a first win.
Liebestraum won the final trial of the morning in easy fashion. He led from go to whoa with Wong Chin Chuen on the reins.
Trained by Stephen Gray, the youngster won by two lengths – but in a slow time of 62.40sec.
Do not hold it against him. Liebestraum was never pushed and Wong did not make him do more than he was comfortable with.
The Argentinian-bred finished a close second in his last outing and Gray will be expecting big things from him at his next start.
Yesterday’s Kranji barrier trial results:
TRIAL 1
1 Retallica (V. Duric)
2 Valerie (K. A’isisuhairi)
3 Anyway (I. Saifudin)
4 Street Of Dreams (M. Zaki)
Margins and time:
NS, 1 3/4, 1/2 (1 min 01.30 sec)
TRIAL 2
1 Kinabalu Prince (B. Woodworth)
2 Silent Partner
3 Qaidoom (M. Ibrahim)
4 Teardrops ( Duric)
5 Raffie (D. Beasley)
Margins and time:
1/2, NS, 7 3/4, 6 1/4 (1:00.47)
TRIAL 3
1 Liebestraum (C.C. Wong)
2 Our Pinnacle (Duric)
3 Sabah Star (Woodworth)
4 Kharisma (M. Lerner)
Margins and time:
2, 2 1/2, nk (1:02.40)
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