Shades of Gray to bring curtain down

Like it was on opening day, when trainer Stephen Gray opened his season with a double, the Kiwi handler could close his 2022 show with a bang.

He has entered a big team of 17 for the 12-race programme and quite a few are looking good to deliver.

That number is even more than what champion trainer “in the wings” Tim Fitzsimmons (15 entries) and current runner-up Donna Logan (10) entered respectively.

Gray must mean business.

While Fitzsimmons and Logan sit on 65 and 59 winners respectively going into the final round of action, Gray has had a pretty decent season with 24 winners.

No cartwheels there, but it is still a good number.

Come Saturday, he could build on that and one of his runners that must be included in your watch list is Silent Is Gold.

The son of Star Turn was sent out for a gallop on Tuesday morning and he turned in a tip-top show, running 600m in 39.6sec on the Polytrack.

Jockey Ronnie Stewart, who pulled off a double on Gold Cup Day, was the man in the saddle.

Silent Is Gold has been one of the unsung heroes of the season, winning three races from just eight starts.

In his last start on Nov 5, he ran fifth to Legend Of The Sun, but the margin from first to fifth was under two lengths.

That aside, Silent Is Gold’s claim to fame must be his second to Golden Monkey in the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint over 1,200m on June 18.

On July 9, he ran fourth to that same horse in the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic over 1,400m.

A first-season galloper, who began his campaign in February with a third to The Bullet, the four-year-old has youth and ability on his side.

In this game, it is a lethal combination and it will take him places.

Silent Is Gold is one who seemingly does his best racing on turf and over 1,200m.

So it begs the question: How will he fare on the Polytrack?

Well, in his defence, he has won a couple of trials on the alternate surface and, who knows, adaptability may be his middle name.

Another one who, by virtue of his gallop, made an impression on those at trackside was Renzo.

Ridden by Vlad Duric, he was not pushed to make time but finished with plenty in hand when clocking 40.8sec for 600m.

Prepared by Ricardo Le Grange, who saddled the Group 1 Singapore Gold Cup winner Hongkong Great on Saturday, Renzo is another good one that the “man of the moment” has in his yard.

In his 17-start career, which began in June last year, Renzo has been ultra consistent with three wins, three seconds, five thirds and three fourths.

Renzo could have added another success just two starts back in September.

But it was a hard-luck story from go to whoa.

He had to race wide, was bumped in the home stretch and then hampered approaching the winning post.

He eventually settled for fourth, less than a length behind the winner, Augustano.

He next takes on a Class 4 field over 1,200m and looks up to the task. Well, we know Le Grange has him ticking over nicely.