Unbeaten Moon Face is looking serious
The best from the training track yesterday morning
Two from two, and it is not too much to ask for a hat-trick from a talent like Moon Face.
A rip-roaring workout on the training track yesterday morning makes that feat look well within his reach.
With regular rider Ruan Maia in the plate, Moon Face gave stablemate So You Too something like a three-length headstart when they worked on Track 6.
In no time at all, he drew level. In the process, the Cliff Brown-trained grey clocked a nice time of 38sec for the 600m spin.
There was no denying it was a solid piece of work.
Indeed, the good-looker is slowly but surely making inroads into the big-time league. But Moon Face is anything but slow.
He has been a speedster in his races. He had, on debut, claimed the lead after just 300m. From there, he led his rivals on a merry chase over the remaining 900m on the Polytrack.
He learnt a lot from that outing. In his last start, he did not wait around.
Skipping to the front the moment he was released from the gate, he never allowed his rivals to get a look-in. He went on to win by three lengths.
One of many gems in Brown's yard, he will have to race on turf for the first time in Sunday's Class 3 Div 1 event over 1,200m .
Will it matter? Will it make a difference?
It is a tough test, but one which Moon Face should pass with flying colours.
As for his galloping companion So You Too, he deserves a winning break.
The best he could manage in eight outings has been two second-place finishes.
He meets some good ones in Sunday's Class 3 (2) sprint over the 1,200m.
It looks tough, but we should see him make inroads at the business end of things.
The big one on Sunday - the $400,000 Group 1 Lion City Cup - has "Inferno" written all over it, but strange things have been known to happen.
If there is to be an upset, a horse like Grand Koonta could be the one to spring it. He looked sharp in his workout yesterday, covering 600m in 39.2sec.
In a career going back to February last year, Grand Koonta has put together five wins and four seconds.
It is a fantastic report card which, because of the other talents in his league, has always been understated.
Well, in 70 seconds or thereabouts, all that could change. He could make the headlines.
Now, wouldn't that be something?
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