Charles Laird’s Gr 1 Rising Sun Gold Challenge contender Ice Machine is not the soundest type but his class is illustrated by two particularly scintillating career performances, first when beating the country’s best milers in last season’s Gr 2 weight for age Green Point Stakes over 1600m at Kenilworth and then in his last start when annihilating them in the Gr 2 IOS Drill Hall Stakes over 1400m at Greyville.
The six-year-old Silvano gelding displayed his devastating turn of foot in the Drill Hall, but Laird’s immediate wish after the race was that he would be sound the next day, which told a story of how difficult a horse he is to train.
Laird is Ice Machine’s third career trainer and said ahead of the gelding’s third outing for the yard, “He is floating, he is moving very well. It is a hard ask against those horses but he couldn’t be better.”
Ice Machine is now back on a career high mark of 113 and is the third highest rated horse in Saturday’s weight for age race behind 120-rated Futura and 117-rated Legislate. Anton Marcus remains aboard which is an obvious bonus, but they are drawn a tricky nine this time as opposed to the three draw they had in the Drill Hall.
Laird also runs Bold Inspiration in the Gr 3 Cup Trial, but even if he wins he won’t be re-entered for the Vodacom Durban July, having been scratched from the big race after his unplaced run in the Gr 2 Betting World 1900. That last run didn’t pan out well for him and Laird said, “They went a crawl and from draw one he got stuck behind the leader, it was a shambles. He is not a horse that can sprint for home and Stuart Randolph will have to use his draw (three) on Saturday to make sure they don’t go a walk. He’s very well.”
Laird has five two-year-olds in total running on the day and expected all of them to hold their own in their respected Listed events over 1400m, although he admitted that at this stage these races are very difficult to predict especially as virtually all of the runners will be seeing the Greyville turn for the first time.
However, one of the more interesting of his runners could be the filly Ninefold, who looks to be a chip off the block of her sire Warm White Night. She showed good pace on debut and then found another gear late to pull clear in soft going over 1200m at Scottsville. From draw two in Saturday’s Listed Devon Air Stakes over 1400m, she should be up there early under Anton Marcus and should also be doing good work late so is one to consider.
By David Thiselton
Picture: Ice Machine (Nkosi Hlophe)
