Speed Demon will be given every opportunity to live up to his name when he makes his debut at Ellerslie.
The youngster has drawn the ace in Saturday’s Eagle Technology 2YO (1100m) and tyro trainer Nick Kneebone is hoping the son of Yes Yes Yes can take full advantage of the coveted rails barrier.
“He’s better out in front so he’ll jump and see if we can give him some clear running,” he said.
To be ridden by Masa Hashizume, Speed Demon finished in behind the major players in his sole trial earlier this month on a heavy track at Te Awamutu.
“He’s had three jump-outs here at Cambridge and pinged the lids every time and that trial was probably the slowest he’s begun,” Kneebone said.
“The better ground will help him, and he gets around a right-handed bend better than the left, in his jump-out the other day he hit the bend at full pace and not many two-year-olds can take them like that.”
Ability aside, Speed Demon is also blessed with an admirable demeanour.
“He’s been very straight forward and that’s why he’s got through to where he is,” Kneebone said.
“I’ve probably got bigger and faster two-year-olds, but his mind is what has taken him a long way.”
Speed Demon was a $20,000 purchase out of Blandford Lodge’s draft at Karaka earlier this year and is out of the Proisir mare Devotioninmotion, a half-sister to the Gr.2 Hong Kong Sprint Cup (1200m) winner Amazing Star.
“I don’t know how we got him that cheaply, I really liked him and we snagged him out of Book 2,” Kneebone said.
“He’s raced by an overseas syndicate from Hong Kong and Malaysia, they love the New Zealand racing.”
Kneebone will also offer eight juveniles through the Phoenix Park draft at the upcoming New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run Sale.
“The Home Affairs is probably the stand-out, the Super Seth colt is a lovely mover, and there’s a Shamexpress and they sell themselves,” he said.
The former, Lot 122, is a son of the High Chaparral mare Sopraffina, successful on four occasions, who is a half-sister to Group winners Supera and Eleonora from the great Ethereal’s family.
The Super Seth youngster, Lot 305, is from the Pierro mare Drama Series with the pedigree featuring the Gr.1 Flight Stakes (1600m) winner First Seal.
Lot 373 is the gelding by Shamexpress out of the High Chaparral mare High Tail It and from the family of the Gr.1 Queen of the Turf Stakes (1500m) winner Ike’s Dream. – LOVERACING.NZ News Desk
