Whenever a middle-distance feature rolls around, it is almost as certain as the day is long that trainer Ricardo Le Grange would be strongly represented, and Sunday’s $500,000 Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Cup (1800m) is no different.

Having a stable full of stayers is simply a reputation that the South African handler has perpetuated from his former boss Patrick Shaw over the years.

This time around, Le Grange gang-tackles the QEII Cup ‘new look’ with four runners – Quechua, Time Odyssey, Storm Troops and Perfect P (pictured above).


 

The only thing that makes it a little different this time is the ratio. There were times when he hogged half of the racecard, but with 15 runners facing the starter, it is a bit better spread out.

The decision to drop the QEII Cup distance from 2000m to 1800m for the first time this year, probably accounted for the bigger field.

It’s a bit of a motley crew, but all four Le Grange’s boast various credentials which put them in good stead for a forward run.

Of the quartet, Quechua is of course the most accomplished with wins in the Singapore Gold Cup (2200m) and Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) – when under Shaw’s care - among others. But he is first-up since his unsuccessful trip to Dubai in March, and he has not visited the winner’s circle in 10 months.

Perfect P is the other feature winner (Group 3 New Year Cup over 1900m last year), and just like Quechua, his form has nosedived since. He has not won since the New Year Cup.

On the other hand, Storm Troops and Time Odyssey, both last-start winners, are on an upward spiral, and are arguably his leading pair, even if the cautious first-year handler would not split his foursome.

They do have some queries hovering over them, though.

Storm Troops, the Group 3 Saas Fee Stakes’ joint winner with War Affair is actually a surprise entry as the Argentinian-bred five-year-old by Orpen had never been tested beyond 1400m in 15 starts, and suddenly, here he is in uncharted waters. It is a big leap of 400m against some of the best middle-distance runners in Singapore.

Time Odyssey is the only one not to have any ‘black type’ to his name, but that record could have been different if Polytrack features had not been canned last year.

Regardless of the different backgrounds, Le Grange has given his four-pronged attack the same preparation, even if this week’s inclement weather has perturbed his plans a little.

“They were meant to all have a grass gallop on Tuesday, but it rained heavily and the track was too wet,” said Le Grange.

“I was prepared for that eventuality and that was why I also entered Storm Troops and Time Odyssey in the barrier trials. I was very happy with that trial (Storm Troops won and Time Odyssey ran third with their respective race riders Nooresh Juglall and Barend Vorster up).

“Storm Troops will be going over 1800m for the first time, and yes, it was a last-minute decision to enter him.

“I spoke to a guy in Argentina and he told me that on pedigree, Storm Troops’ second and third dam can go over more ground. He still remains unknown at the trip, it’s a strong race, but we felt he deserved his place in the race.

“If you watch his races, he just keeps going. It’s a Group 1 race, he’s in such great form, we thought why not have a crack instead of leaving him in his box?

“Ideally, we would prefer a Polytrack feature for Time Odyssey, but there are none. I couldn’t be happier with his form and we had to give him a run, too.

“As for Quechua and Perfect P, they trialled last week and galloped on Saturday. That’s why they had their grass gallops today (Thursday).

“Their race partners galloped them. Vlad Duric rode Quechua and John Powell was on Perfect P, and I was happy with both of their runs.

“They finished off the last 600m in 35.9 seconds. Quechua was a little stronger than Perfect P in their gallop.

“We’re putting the blinkers and a tongue-tie on Quechua to spark him up, and he went really well. As horses get older, it’s good to try something different, change things up just to give them a new lease of life.

“Perfect P is back from a freshen and he is doing well at home. I won’t be surprised if he puts up a good run for JP.

“They’ve all pulled up well from their gallops, and I hope they all run well on Sunday. I can’t split them, they all have their chances.”