Hong Kong, March 2 – Ill-fated Golden Slipper winner Catbird was in the news in Hong Kong recently with his impressive Derby Trial winner Green Birdie and was back in the winner’s circle at Sha Tin on Saturday with the former Gai Waterhouse trained five year-old Ranger Smith.
Now racing under the name of Grand Cru, he was transferred to leading trainer John Moore at the start of the year and with Darren Beadman on board for this assignment he bounced back to his best form.
Grand Cru carried top weight in the Class Three event over 1400 metres and was given the run of the race by Beadman in settling in fourth spot on the fence before switching around the leader and going on for an easy length and a half win.
A $140,000 purchase from the draft of Yarraman Park Stud at the 2004 Magic Millions Yearling Sale, Grand Cru (Ranger Smith) was snapped up by unabashed Catbird fan Gai Waterhouse.
From four starts in the Waterhouse stable Ranger Smith never missed a place, with a win at Randwick and over $50,000 in the bank, prior to his sale to Hong Kong.
The first foal of metropolitan winning Bluebird (USA) mare Pride of the Park, Ranger Smith claims celebrated producer Pride of Tahnee as his third dam, her three Group One winning offspring Shogun Lodge, Referral and Singing the Blues featuring prominently on his pedigree page.
Catbird has an outstanding draft for Magic Millions with 16 youngsters catalogued, seven of them to be offered by Yarraman Park.
