By Adam Hamilton
MUCH-IMPROVED former Kiwi pacer Cruz has something in common with former champion Im Themightyquinn.
They now share the Albion Park 1660m track record at 1min50.4sec after Cruz scored the most important win of his career in the Wondais Pace Pace on Saturday night.
Im Themightyquinn set the record with his Sunshine Sprint win back on July 5, 2014.
Cruz matched it when he burned straight to the front and dazzled with closing splits of 54.2 and 26.5sec to easily hold-off local star Colt Thirty One to win by four metres.
Buzz local Speech Is Silver’s seven-race winning streak came to and end, but he smashed the clock making late ground for fifth and will get his chance in longer free-for-alls in coming weeks.
Stable spokesman Luke McCarthy said it was a last-minute decision to send Cruz from NSW to Queensland late Thursday.
“He wasn’t going, but then we thought he’d have to race our other stars like Alta Orlando, Cash N Flow and King Of Swing if he stayed home, so we put him on the truck with five others to campaign in Queensland,” he said.
“He actually fibrillated (irregular heart beat) after his last Menangle run. It’s the first horse we’ve had fibrillate in six years, but, for some reason, so many horses go like jets the next run after they fibrillate.
“He’s a horse who’s keep improving and toughening up with the hard racing at Menangle and even though he beat some nice horses last night, it was a bit of a drop in grade for him.
“There’s good free-for-alls for him again the next two weeks.
“It was a good night for us with Culture King and Roll One Over winning easily as well.”
As well as the three Albion Park winners, McCarthy and head trainer Craig Cross also two winners at Menangle – Replaced Eye and Better Enforce – on the same night.
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ANTHONY Butt has scrapped a planned Queensland raid with Perfect Stride.
The Victoria and NSW Derby placegetter didn’t please Butt and owner Emilio Rosati when down the track at Menangle on Saturday night.
“We both just felt he should’ve gone a bit better,” he said. “It was always going to be hard from the draw and settling so far back, but he’s better than that
“There’s no point taking him away unless he’s spot-on. We’ll get him checked-out in case he’s got a bug.
