Forest Gold is fit again, has eye on stamina test

He has been, and still is, plying his trade in Class 5 but that seems to be his comfort zone.

Yes, Forest Gold is no superstar but his trainer James Peters will surely agree that the son of Star Witness is not a bad horse to have in the barn.

Well, Forest Gold has been entered for that very interesting 2,000m race for Class 5 stayers onJune 16.

We do not get too many of these long-distance races but we should see some nice action from the 13 runners entered for that gruelling race and we reckon Forest Gold will be right in it.

As part of his preparation for this journey, Peters chose to send his charge out for a piece of fast work on the morning of June 11 and it turned out to be a solid hit-out.

The gallop, which began at the 1,000m, alsoserved as a veterinary trialwhich was ordered when Forest Gold returned lame after his last start.

Well, there were no issues this time. ForestGold passed that test underjockey Daniel Moor.

As for hisgallop, he completed the last 600m in a breezy 38.1sec.

If there was anything to take from that hit-out, the word from trackside was thatForest Gold pulled up rather well, which does suggest that he is ready for his assignmenton June 16.

Since winning his first and only race for Gold Stable on Feb 11, the youngsterseemed to have hit a plateau.

Peters entered himfor six races but he failed to land a punch.

Incidentally, one of those races was over 2,000m and Forest Gold, underCharles Perkins, finished third, beaten less than two lengths by Split Second on April 27.

Yes, we now know that the Australian-bred gelding can stay the journey and, come June 16, he will be in it for a long way.

One who does his best racing over sprint trips is Southern Speed.

His connections have entered him for the Class 4 dash over 1,100m and he, too, was out on the training track where he ran the 600m in 37.1.

Prepared for the races by jockey-turned-trainer Richard Lim, Southern Speed has been a hard worker for the Crystal Dragon No. 2 Stable.

He has faced the starter 35 times and, while he has not won any headline races, his three wins, two seconds and three third placings have brought in a modest yet satisfying $125,000 for his connections.

Lim has picked a winnable sort of race for the six-year-old Australian-bred gelding.

Sure, the son of I am Invincible has not won over 1,100m but his three victories over 1,200m were all won when Southern Speed was allowed to dictate terms.

He looked to be in line for honours at his last start over 1,200m on May 12, when he hit the front near the 300m.

But something went amiss and he folded up to finish seventh in the Class 4 contest. A vet check, though, revealed no abnormality.

Well, we will soon see Southern Speed in action again, and if that “problem” – or whatever it was – has been ironed out, keep those glassesfocused on the leading bunch in that sharp sprint.

Southern Speed could, and should, be heading them home.

Another good worker for the upcoming meeting was Great Command.

Sent out for a spin on the morning of June 10, the son of Air Force Blue stopped the clock at an impressive 36.1.

From trainer Ricardo Le Grange’s yard, Great Command has already put in three wins for his connections.

While you have to go all the way back to Dec 2 for the last time Great Command greeted the judge, his recent runs were indicative of a horse who is running back into race fitness.

He was distinctly unlucky on May 12 when he ran fourth to Fast And Fearless in a Class 5 1,100m race on the Poly.

That day, when ridden by Carlos Henrique, he was held up for a run at the 400m and was unable to improve over the next 100m.

But when a gap opened, he came home strongly.

The five-year-old Australian-bred gelding carried some stable confidence at his next start on June 1 when sent off as the $31 third pick in the Class 5 1,000m race on Poly.

But he was found lacking in that spurt to the finish and eventually filled fourth spot.

Next up, Great Command tackles similar Class 5 company over 1,200m on grass.

In 30 starts to date, he has raced on grass on only two occasions. And one of those races – a 1,400m contest against maiden rivals – produced a smack-up second.

So keep Great Command in your betting plans. He could help boost the value of those novelty bets.

brian@sph.com.sg