Follow Brett Crawford at Kenilworth

Ken Nicol

If ratings are to be believed, Spring Man should come home an easy winner in Race 5 at Kenilworth tomorrow.

This three-year-old colt won his maiden and a MR 64 in quick succession over this 2000m at the end of last year. However, what happened next really caught the attention.

Brett Crawford decided to try his luck in the Grade 1 Investec Cape Derby on Sun Met Day, and Spring Man ran on from the rear in a slow-run race to finish fifth just over four lengths off high-class winner Eyes Wide Open.

On paper he ran to a merit rating of 99 that day, but due to restrictions placed on handicappers regarding unplaced horses his merit rating remains unchanged on 83. That means he is theoretically 8kg better off in this MR 80 event and the obviously progressive youngster really is very hard to oppose.

He drops to 1600m, and if that is a chink in his armour Commander Bond and Earth Hour will be waiting to pounce. The obvious improver in the race is Crawford’s other runner, Gimmie A Cohiba, with Greg Cheyne aboard. It’s hard to assess his chances at this level, but I suspect he will be very competitive with 52.5kg on his back.

It could be a Crawford-dominated day as Harvest Wind in Race 3 also appeals strongly. Robert Frost in the opener and Gimme One Night (with Cheyne up) in Race 2 are also big runners from the same yard, and stable jockey Orffer will be looking forward to the weekend.