Owner-trainer Shane Baertschiger’s unwavering faith in Caorunn even after his local runs could not quite live up to the big two-year-old wraps he came with from New Zealand, was finally vindicated by a rousing victory at Kranji on Friday night.
Just by looking at the glowing resume of the former Trent Busuttin-trained son of Showcasing, many thought last year’s Singapore batch of less experienced two-year-olds were in for a hiding.
Three wins from six starts in New Zealand, including the Group 3 Phoenix Park 2YO Classic (1200m) and more to the point, a fourth place in last year’s Karaka Million (1200m), stacked up against unexposed form from the majority of the other juveniles made for lopsided statistics.
Caorunn (Matthew Kellady) proves too strong for his rivals in the Class 3 race on Friday.
But what is shown on paper does not always unfold that way on the racetrack.
Caorunn did finish in the money in the two Singapore two-year-old feature races – second in the Group 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (1200m) and third in the Group 3 Juvenile Championship (1200m) – but one could not help feel he had fallen a little short of all the hype.
He did not return as a three-year-old until this year. Renewed hopes went back afloat, but in three runs, though well-backed, a second place in a Class 3 race was the best he could muster.
However, Baertschiger did not give in to despair. To him, Caorunn, who is named after a Scottish gin, was maturing nice and slow, but unfortunately, his winning chances were scuppered by bad rides and bad luck.
“Caorunn had a nice start to his two-year-old campaign. He could have won the Aushorse Golden Horseshoe if he had not drawn 14,” said the Australian handler.
“I then gave him a two-month spell. He came back in a race in February and ran okay.
“Second-up, he got beat by a head and at his last run, Matty made a blue. It was a tragedy as he got smashed at the barriers, got held up in the straight. Basically, he’s been unlucky not to have won a race yet.
“Matty does all the hard work at the stables, just like JP (John Powell) and that’s why it’s a nice reward when they get a win.”
The Kranji-based Malaysian jockey said Caorunn had talent and quirks in equal measure, but decided to let them flow unbridled on Friday.
After a smart jump from an awkward alley, the gelding quite easily landed in a handy spot on the girth of leader Pioneer Seven (Oscar Chavez). But with Caorunn still pulling his way to the front, Kellady decided he would just let nature take its course.
“He jumped good and instead of trying to make him come back, I just let him stride. I was quite happy to just take a sit outside the leader,” said the Ipoh-born jockey.
“At the top of the straight, he was travelling so well I knew he’d be hard to beat. He is not a big horse but he sure has an engine.
“He can be a tricky horse to ride. When things don’t pan out his way, he just loses the plot, but tonight, everything went right and he was dominant in the end.
“He came here with big wraps, and even if it’s taken a while for him to run to his best, I knew he always had ability.”
