3 minute read

As trainer Stephen Gray dabbed the grease off his mouth after downing the last morsel of fish of chips in his Auckland hotel room, he couldn’t help a wry chuckle.

Four days into his one-week quarantine at his first visit to his native New Zealand in three years, the daily tucker room-delivered to him and wife Bridget has been better than he thought.

But it's not quite Thursday's lip-smacking lunch that really had Gray feeling a bit bluesy – but more what it came wrapped in and the old saying that goes with the iconic British dish.

"The fish and chips have been quite good to be honest. We also have a nice view of the Viaduct Harbour, so Bridget and I can't complain too much," said Gray, who comes out on Monday before heading to his Waverley hometown for another three days of home isolation.

"But when I saw the newspaper wrapping, I somehow thought of Hard Too Think's run in the Gold Cup."

As the saying goes, fish and chips are yesterday's news or water under the bridge, and as much as Gray rued his gallant warrior's second place to Lim's Lightning in the $1 million Group 1 Singapore Gold Cup (2000m) on Sunday, he can't change silver to gold.

Of course, he had hoped he could board the New Zealand-bound plane the next day with a second gold-plated memento (he won the Singapore Gold Cup in 2016 with Bahana) in the suitcase, but he was still mightily proud of the All Too Hard five-year-old's effort, albeit he could have gone one better if not for one untimely bug.

And that's the part which is a bit 'hard not to think' about.

"Hard Too Think couldn't work for a good fortnight. He was sick with a virus, had a cough and his blood count was bad," said Gray.

"Because of the infection, he could only walk and trot for two weeks. He had only one gallop on the Friday and one quiet trial on Tuesday, just to bring him on.

"It was a terrible preparation. His weight was up, but we still worked hard to get him there, along with Dr Dan Shaw (Singapore Turf Club veterinary surgeon), who did a great job.

"He was definitely not at his best when he ran on Sunday. I just know it.

"No disrespect to Lim's Lightning with whom Daniel (Meagher) did a fantastic job, and good luck to the winners, but considering what my horse went through, for the prep he had and he was not 100%, he went great. But that's fish and chips paper now, pretty much like my lunch today!

"He'll come out of the race better for it. The thing is if I had other options, I would have backed him off, but it's the Gold Cup, and we decided to take a chance.

"He's won two Group 1s, one Singapore Derby and a QEII Cup, and run second in the Gold Cup. I'm happy to have that."

Gray also fully supported jockey Marc Lerner's ride, even if there's a school of thought he might have gone a touch too soon when he started moving three wide from the 800m to collar Lim's Lightning at the point of the turn.

To Gray, the French jockey delivered to a tee what was expected of him, but it was just an undercooked Hard Too Think who could not put the race to bed despite all of his bravery. Sent out as the second favourite, he ran out of his skin, even heading Lim's Lightning, the favourite, but just wilted late to lose by half-a-length.

"Marc has been wasting hard to make the weight, and rode him great. We knew Lim's Lightning would be up on the speed, and he peeled off at the right time to get clear run," said Gray.

"He got a bit buffeted, and fought hard, but unfortunately, that infection had taken the edge off my horse.

"We had a good opportunity to get to the Gold Cup at a light weight, use that and his stamina, but the antibiotics had knocked him around, and it just told on him in the end.

"I'm not making too many excuses for him, but these things happen, that's racing. We'll bring him back next year, I guess, but he won't get 52.5kgs anymore."

Gray has nominated the dual Group 1 Singapore Derby-Queen Elizabeth II Cup winner for the Group 1 Hong Kong Vase (2400m) at Sha Tin on December 12, but is in two minds about the travelling gig.

"He's pulled up good, but I don't think I'll go to Hong Kong," said Gray who has never been shy to venture overseas if a good horse comes along, such as Emperor Max and Lim's Cruiser in the past.

"If the field drops away, I may still consider. Or else, I'll just give him a break."

It's only fitting that master and horse are spelling at the same time after a testing campaign, but it's not 100% holiday yet for Gray.

With assistant-trainer Lisa O'Shea deputising at Kranji, Gray still has gutsy las-start winner Kharisma running in the Group 3 Merlion Trophy (1200m) next Saturday week, and this Saturday, a 10-strong squad will try and bump up his 2021 score of 27 winners to consolidate his current fifth place on the Singapore trainers' premiership.

With plenty of time on their hands, the Grays will surely watch the races from their hotel room, right up to their last runner from the 12-race programme.

It happens to be a horse Gray has some time for, up-and-comer Billy Elliot, who is stepping up in class in the penultimate event, the $50,000 Class 4 race (1600m).

A five-year-old by Per Incanto, the last-start Class 5 winner in a seven-furlong race (October 2) will have the luxury load of only 50kgs on his back, after one kilo is shaved off from Simon Kok Wei Hoong's claim.

"Billy Elliot  is a nice horse. He's been difficult, but we're on top of him now," said Gray.

"He's a good horse around the stable, but he's headstrong. He's also fast as he proved at his last start.

"Marc rides him every day as part of the two to three horses he rides every morning for me. I've got good track riders, but this horse is not easy to ride, only Marc can settle him down, and I'm very grateful to him.

"I know he only beat Class 5 horses at his last start, but we knew he was better than that and he'd always end up in Class 4.

"He's run over 1600m before (July 10), but it was a heavy track. He was wide and got shuffled back.

"Simon rode him then, and told me he still gave him a good feel. Marc can't make the weight this time, so I was quite happy to put Simon back on.

"He'll be even better as he goes over more ground, but to become a good horse, you need good brains, but this horse doesn't have the brains yet. Paul (Hickman of St George Stable) has been very patient and has taken his time with this one, let's hope he can be a better horse next year."