Wolf Warrior hungry for more
With Groenewegen for company, he tops yesterday morning's trials at Kranji
Wolf Warrior and Groenewegen, first and second in the same trial yesterday morning, were most impressive and it could pay to track their progress.
From Alwin Tan's yard, Wolf Warrior showed his rivals a clean pair of heels to take out the third of four trials.
Off in a hurry, like a straying husband trying to outrun a shotgun, the "Wolf" bolted to a three-length lead and extended it to four when he straightened for that run to safety.
Groenewegen tracked him all the way.
With the finish in sight, Wolf Warrior began to pay the price for that speedy getaway and shortened strides.
Ben Thompson, on Groenewegen, gave chase - but it was all in vain.
Wolf Warrior had the momentum and the winning post came up kindly enough. He was home and hosed with 11/2 lengths to spare.
As for Groenewegen, well, he put in a terrific effort and lost no marks.
But the "Wolf" was the one who caught the eye.
A last-start winner over Caribbean Lady in a tightly contested finish two months ago, Wolf Warrior has been filling up the piggy-bank rather fast.
Then again, he's won four races in a season.
Wolf Warrior is still a work in progress and he could be one of the stars in the 2020 season.
If there's a prize for the best "trier" out there, Groenewegen should be at the head of the pack.
Since notching up the last of his three career wins in what is now oh-so-long-ago, his form figures preceding his name read like this: 4-2-3-2-2-2-2.
That last "2" came almost two and a half years ago - in September of 2017 - and, since then, he has been in a clutchful of trials, culiminating with that run behind Wolf Warrior yesterday.
He deserves his day in the spotlight and the Cliff Brown camp will surely raise a huge cheer when that happens.
Hopefully, for the seven-year-old, it will be sooner rather than later.
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