No fun playing second fiddle

Put yourself in the shoes of trainer Steven Burridge and “frustrating” has got to be the word.

Not that he has much to regret when it comes to his overall showing this season.

The long-time Kranji resident currently sits on six winners for 2024, and it was as recent as March 17 that he showcased a potential moneyspinner when Bakeel blew away his rivals in the Novice event over 1,400m.

Yes, Burridge has nothing much to complain about. Except for what he has not been able to do with Winning Stride.

The five-year-old has got to be one of the unluckiest horses in training right now, and Burridge must be feeling gutted for his owners – the Fairdeal & Ronald Lau Stable.

Flipping the pages of the calendar back to Sept 23 and Winning Stride has placed second six times in seven starts.

How much more grinding of the teeth can Burridge take?

Well, if it is any consolation, Winning Stride looked really good on the training track on March 19 and it would have left the affable trainer believing that the jinx could be broken on March 23.

Burridge has entered a tight and taut team of six for the upcoming meeting and Winning Stride looks to be his best chance for that photo-taking session with the Fairdeal guys.

Winning Stride was in his element on the morning of March 19 when he galloped over the 600m in 40.3sec.

Sure, it was not a blistering time but, up in the saddle, jockey Ryan Curatolo had his mount on a nice hold.

At the end of it all, everything suggested a winning show at the grey’s next outing.

Well, for sure, horse, trainer and owners will be hoping it turns out that way.

Sure, they have been there and done that. But they would love to do it again.

In a racing career which began on Sept 24, 2022, Winning Stride has won two of his 20 races but the nine times that he has finished second must rankle the connections.

In fairness, it should have been a third win at his latest start on Feb 24. With the Frenchman in the saddle and tackling the 2,000m trip, Winning Stride raced tight near the 1,800m and could not find clear room when attempting to fashion a run in the home stretch.

It probably cost him the race as, at the end of that contest, he was just a short head behind the winner, Pacific Bao Bei.

Yes, as they say, that is racing – but sometimes it can be cruel.

Well, if you were one of those whose money brought Winning Stride’s dividend crashing to $11 at the “off”, do not give up on this New Zealand-bred son of Wrote.

There is, for sure, a third win looming.

And, come March 23, he should and could break that jinx.

However, like it always is, there will be obstacles in his way and, in the case of Winning Stride, he will have to contend with tough adversaries in King Of Sixty-One and Elite Jubilation.

Not to be outdone, the pair were also out on the training track on March 19 and they punched home good gallops.

King Of Sixty-One was not asked to do much and he ran out the 600m trip in 42.6. One-time UK winner Elite Jubilation went faster, stopping the clock at 39.6.

Trained by Tim Fitzsimmons and Ricardo Le Grange respectively, both are talented gallopers who, between them, have won some nice distance races.

King Of Sixty-One won over 2,000m on Sept 23, beating Winning Stride and sending him on his run of second-place finishes.

As for Elite Jubilation, he has yet to greet the judge at Kranji. But, in his defence, he has had only six runs which brought up a second (1,600m) and a third (2,000m).

Yes, the Class 4 race over 1,800m on March 23 is shaping up to be an interesting affair.

From the top down, there is King Of Sixty-One who has won two from 12.

Then there is Winning Stride, who desperately wants to shake off that sequence of placings and, in the process, punch home a third career win.

Next is Elite Jubilation, who has yet to win but has been running good races.

So, if you are still watching the races the time-honoured way, keep those binoculars focused on the horses carrying saddlecloth Nos. 1, 2 and 3.

You could be witnessing a terrific contest once the field swings for home.

brian@sph.com.sg