Logan's top pair face off at Kranji
Kiwi trainer has to run Entertainer and King Arthur together because of the race fixtures
It is always a big headache when you have two great chances running in the same race.
Trainer Donna Logan is faced with that problem at Kranji this afternoon.
She has her Fortuna NZ Racing Stable-owned prolific pair – Entertainer and King Arthur – engaged in the $85,000 Class 2 event over the Polytrack 1,100m in Race 6 (2.30pm).
“Of course, I would rather not have them in the same race. But there were no other races for them. I didn’t have much of a choice,” said Logan.
“The next available race is a Class 3 race over 1,200m on March 13. Then it’s all the way till April 30 for another Class 3 1,200m. Looks like they’ll have to run together again.”
The comforting part is that her two speedsters have drawn well in today’s eight-horse contest.
King Arthur, a five-time winner including his last four starts, gets pole position. He will be ridden by Wong Chin Chuen, affectionately known as Jimmy at Kranji.
Entertainer, a seven-time winner including his last start, will break from Gate 4. A’Isisuhairi Kasim aka Harry will be on board.
Like a mother who would not be drawn into choosing a favourite child, Logan would not split them. But she has a pretty good idea who would get to play the rabbit’s role.
“They’ve both got gate speed. The draws were the determining factor, and the good news is they have both drawn well,” she said.
“Between the two, Entertainer is the quicker out of the gates and I reckon he will lead. But King Arthur won’t be far behind.
“They’re both in very good order. Both have been working well and both Jimmy and Harry have given great feedback on them.
“Obviously, King Arthur will be up in class. But he’s always so well in himself. He’s incredibly well and, to this point, I don’t see why he can’t measure up.”
Logan was actually looking forward to having a Mark Walker-transferred trio in the race with Zac Kasa.
But the grey had to be scratched because he was not eligible to race.
“Unfortunately, the stewards told me he had to pass a barrier test after he missed the start at his last race,” said Logan.
“We all know he’s got bad barrier manners, but so did six other horses in the race. They couldn’t all be loaded last. As a result, he was loaded early.
“He can’t stay in there too long, he got restless and missed the start badly. I tried to appeal, but the orders were there, he had to pass a barrier test.”
However, the Reset seven-year-old’s barrier woes paled in comparison with the storm in Logan’s stable in the last five days.
But it is nothing the spunky lady could not handle.
“We’ve had Covid-19 positives at the stable and the numbers have grown to 11,” she said.
“We’ve been really short-handed. But, luckily, I have great staff who have pulled double duty to get things going.
“And we’ve also had jockeys like Jimmy, Harry, Jake (Bayliss) all coming in to help with trackwork.
“My husband Peter (Woods) has even been helping muck out the boxes. Everybody has been pulling their weight in, and I can’t thank my staff enough.”
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