Our exciting 3yo colt Kuro (Denman ex Distinctive Lass) scored impressively first up from a spell at Warwick Farm yesterday under trying conditions, confirming the good opinion held of him by connections.

The win was an important one for obvious reasons but more importantly it told us a lot about him as a racehorse going forward.

After being beaten for initial speed, Kuro sat in behind the leading pack whilst having mud thrown up on him approaching the corner. Hugh waited for the split on straightening and he travelled through the gap without issue to hit the lead in a materr of strides. It looked as though he would run away with the victory but the runner up had snuck up on the rail and put in a late challenge. We were giving away race fitness and 3.5kg, so to see Kuro respond when the question was asked was super impressive to watch. The third placed horse was nearly 4L adrift so it was convincing from what we wanted to achieve.

Hugh Bowman, who has now had 3 metro winners for us in the past 3 attempts shed some light on the performance on his return to scale. "He was just floating out in front but once he got headed he found again and got serious. I think he will be better on top of the ground but you wouldnt need to be shying away from wet tracks with him" he commented to owners on dismounting.

Trainer Joe Pride will oversee his recovery in the coming days before deciding on his next task, but he has one eye on the Heritage Stakes at Randwick on September 20 over 1100m for the 3yo's. It just happens to be the same race that Diamond Oasis finished 2nd in last year.

So now we know he is tremendously effective first up (2 for 2 now), loves the sprint distances, can handle any surface (it doesnt get any heavier than yesterday) and he can sit off the speed and give you a good turn of foot when required. The most important take out from yesterday was that he wants to win and will fight for his victory which is a great attribute to have, especially in a colt. He would have learned a bit more about racing yesterday. It is always difficult for young horses as they arent too sure what the caper is all about so to be left in front without something to chase and concentrate on is always dangerous but it's a good learning curve. What will be interesting will be to see what he can do when he has to run down a leader close to the line and we can really test his sprint out.

The classic looking black colt has a regal speed pedigree having the super mare Special as his 3rd dam. Special was every bit her namesake, winning 3 Gr1s over the short course. Bomber Bill is another three time Gr1 winner on Kuro'spage, so it makes sense and provides some comfort that his pedigree is capable of going right to the top, and on multiple occasions.

A product of the NZ Bloodstock Sales, he was purchased from the Curraghmore Stud draft on behalf of Nearco Studwho bought back in for a share at the time of purchase, illustrating their confidence in their product. It is not that common to find a NSW stallion with progeny in a NZ sale but in this case we doubt it would have mattered where we found him, he would have stood out against the backdrop of any catalogue, such was his physical presence.

Let's hope the ride for Kuro's owners is a long and exciting one. He has started off this preparation in the right vein and we hope it continues on an upward spiral.