Pax Animi displays class
Trainer Brown hopes the turf club considers recent form for the S'pore Derby with the change in race date
Trainer Cliff Brown is hoping that the selection for this year's $1 million Singapore Derby will be performance-based rather than rating-based.
This is because his Derby hopeful Pax Animi may not have enough time to boost his rating with the Group 1 1,800m feature being rescheduled from the previous July slot to April 18.
Pax Animi, the first emergency acceptor in last Friday night's $70,000 Class 3 race over 1,400m, gained a start following the scratching of stablemate Filibuster.
And what a race the four-year-old Australian-bred put up. He overcame a slightly slow start to jet home and established his worthiness in the Derby.
But he was rated only 67 and may still be some points short for the Derby even after picking a few points from his latest success - his second in just three starts. He won on debut and then found Ironside the one to beat second-up.
With the change in race date, it would seem to be a race against time to get the horse for the Derby, although another victory between now and the Derby could possibly earn him a definite place in the line-up.
Owned by Buffalo & Nick Johnston Stable, Pax Animi was bought with the Derby in mind.
Sired by Rebel Raider, who won six races including the 2008 Victoria Derby, he arrived with a win over 1,400m at Ballarat from three starts back home.
When interviewed by Singapore Turf Club broadcaster Nicholas Child about Pan Animi's Derby plans, Brown said: "He's a lovely horse. Interestingly, you talk about the Derby and we love to get there.
"I think this year the club has to sort of pick the horses not on ratings, because they have moved the race. We don't have the time to qualify them.
"I think it might have to come down to picking what is the best horse and it mightn't have been the biggest rating, but I think they've got to make some allowances this year."
Well, it remains to be seen whether Pax Animi can secure the points to reach the Derby but he looks like a classy horse that can win again to do so.
The horse is so honest and genuine. His best asset is his big engine, looking at the way he sped home when he saw daylight last Friday night.
After his slow start, jockey Patrick Moloney nursed Pax Animi up along the rails to pass a few and then bided his time.
Wecando led from Pax Animi's stablemate, Bluestone.
The joint $22 favourite with Pax Animi, three-time winner Bluestone appeared to have every chance of overtaking Wecando in the straight but his peak ended there.
Wecando kicked on relentlessly under champion jockey Vlad Duric.
Meanwhile, Moloney took Pax Animi a few horses out in the straight for a clear passage. The gap came and Pax Animi burst through and his scintillating finish got him home first by three-quarter lengths from the late-closing Adipson.
He clocked 1min 22.72sec for the 1,400m trip.
Moloney reckoned the 1,200m last time out was a tad short for Pax Animi.
"He was very nice. Last start, he never travelled the whole run and I sort of had to use his turn of foot to get him over 1,200m.
"Tonight, drawn a little bit cosy, I was still a bit worried - you know, three back on the fence wasn't ideal - but he has the turn of foot to offset any sort of trouble. Whenever the gap appeared, he was willing to take it for me. He's a smart horse."
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now