Crucial Appeal too classy for challengers
CRUCIAL APPEAL ran well enough in last month’s grade-one Lady Geeta Sprint to beat overnight allowance company in Saturday’s G.A. ‘Sarge’ Bucknor Memorial at his favourite distance, 1,000 metres straight.
A match-up of raw speed, Saturday’s is skewed to the trio of TALENTED TONY K, MR UNIVERSE and CRUCIAL APPEAL, the fastest of 15 horses declared.
CRUCIAL APPEAL, however, appears a standout for a number of reasons. Though he shares topweight 57.0 kilos with POKER STAR, who returns from a 10month lay-up badly needing a run or two, CRUCIAL APPEAL is the quickest horse breaking from the auxiliary gate on the faster stands’ side.
Drawn at post-position 13, CRUCIAL APPEAL might have SMOKEY TOPAZ for company at the outset, but his class should easily account for any early speed from that quarter, especially having command of the stands’ side.
TALENTED TONY K and MR UNIVERSE are in unenviable positions, having to angle from post-positions one and five, respectively, to launch their challenges against course specialist CRUCIAL APPEAL with the track bias in his favour.
Though he should have no problem clearing KANALOA, POLLY B and SHINING LIGHT to race in mid-track, TALENTED TONY K could end up finishing the race down along the slower inner rail in an expected midtrack battle with MR UNIVERSE, who breaks from stall five.
Even with his back class, it will be hard for TALENTED TONY K to displace MR UNIVERSE from mid-track. The four-year-old colt is a natural speedster, who comes in at a handy 52.0 kilos on the back of a quick 1:05.2 for 1,100 metres recently, carrying 56.0 kilos.
CRUCIAL APPEAL’s high draw gives him a distinct advantage, away from TALENTED TONY K and MR UNIVERSE, lighter horses with possible matching speed.
Claimed by Alford Brown from Dwight Chen for $850,000 as a winner on March 10, CRUCIAL APPEAL returned a little over a month later, racing two classes higher, and lost by less than four lengths to SIEMPRE BUENO, CHACE THE GREAT and MONEY MAGNET in the 1200-metre Lady Geeta.
CRUCIAL APPEAL’s main threat appears to be MR UNIVERSE, who, at age four, is half his age. The chestnut colt also has the handicaps in his favour, running 11lb lighter than his older rival.
However, MR UNIVERSE is up in class, has the draw against him and faces a course specialist, CRUCIAL APPEAL, whose last run against the country’s best sprinters showed that he is far from done.