Accelarometer set to make Singapore debut

Perth Turf Talk | Metropolitan Racing | Thu 6 June, 2013

Former Perth galloper Accelarometer is set to make his Singapore debut in the Group 2 $300,000 Stewards’ Cup over 1400m on Sunday.

Formerly trained in partnership by Ross and Clint Price, Accelarometer has been under the care of Shane Baertschiger since arriving in Singapore in February.

Baertschiger has given Accelarometer a slow and steady build-up for his Singapore debut on Sunday and it was always the intention to target the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge with the gelding.

Following the Stewards’ Cup, Accelarometer will head towards the Group 1 $500,000 Patron’s Bowl over 1600m on June 30 and then onto the Group 1 $1.15 million Emirates Singapore Derby over 2000m on July 14.

Accelarometer arrived in Singapore on the light side and with feet problems which Baertschiger immediately set about rectifying.

He said the four-year-old son of McFlirt had steadily put on weight and overcome his feet issues to the stage where he has now had two 1000m trials on the Polytrack and a jump-out on the turf track.

He rounded off his preparation for the Stewards’ Cup with a half-length second, under race jockey John Powell, in a 1000m trial last Thursday.

“He’s ready now to make his way to the races,” said Baertschiger. “He’s had the two trials and a jump-out on the turf a couple of Saturday’s ago.

“The track was a bit wet for him in his jump-out, but he did enough to show me he’s a nice horse.

“At his last trial he raced handy to the speed and wasn’t knocked around. That’s not his normal pattern, he prefers to come from off the speed and hopefully that’s how we’ll ride him on Sunday.

“He came up here in February and the first task was to get a bit of weight on him and get his feet right, otherwise he wouldn’t have stood up to the preparation.

“But he’s handled everything perfectly so far and he’s improved with each trial and each piece of work.

“He’s not a big robust horse, so he will always look a little bit light, but I’m happy with where he is at and he’s ready to go to the races.”

Accelarometer is raced by Mungrup Stud Stable and Baertschiger said it was their intention to target the Four-Year-Old Challenge right from the outset.

“He came up here with the intention of winning the ‘Triple Crown’,” said Baertschiger.

“It’s not going to be an easy task for him though. He’s got to contend with Super Easy in the first two legs and then the mare (Better Life) in the Derby.

“He also hasn’t been further than a mile (1600m) before so his first two runs will tell us whether he’ll run in the Derby.

“And with only two weeks between the second and third Legs that won’t help either.

“Originally there were three weeks between all the races which suited us because he’s such a light horse, but we’ll work around it and I’m sure he’ll run well.”

Accelarometer was only lightly-raced in Perth. He had eight starts, winning on four occasions – his last three in a row, including two at Ascot – with a further two minor placings and almost A$100,000 in prizemoney.

Baertschiger will also saddle-up El Milagro in the Stewards’ Cup. A winner of the Group 3 Kranji Sprint over 1200m in April, the four-year-old was a last start third behind Masthead in a Kranji Stakes A over 1200m on May 19 and has a win over the Stewards’ Cup trip dating back to November last year.

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