‘Sensational’ test for California Crown

SENSATIONAL MOVE’s flirt among $1.5-1.2 million claimers on New Year’s Day was taking candy from a baby, a warm-up for Saturday’s Trevor ‘Slicer’ Simpson Trophy at six furlongs.

Taking advantage of the new claiming level, inflated to attract horses from the overnight-allowance ranks, SENSATIONAL MOVE pulled a fast one on MILOS and KP CHOICE, blowing them away in 1:06.3 at five and a half furlongs with topweight 126lb.

One of the most improved local-breds of last season, SENSATIONAL MOVE is still out-of-class, having easily beaten overnight-allowance runners on September 7, cruising home in 59.4 at five furlongs straight.

Whereas SENSATIONAL MOVE’s $1.5 million claiming flirt was voluntary, get-out-of-jail clauses in the conditions book have gifted the Sensational Slam-Money Move horse a second bite at the overnight-allowance cherry in five months, having not won an open allowance during the interim.

Last year’s 2000 Guineas winner, CALIFORNIA CROWN, who returned off a five-month lay-up to trample non-winners-of-four races on January 4, clocking 1:05.4 at five and a half furlongs on a fast track, will attract his fair share of backers.

Though he won ridiculously easy in 1:05.4, three days after SENSATIONAL MOVE clocked 1:06.3, CALIFORNIA CROWN sauntered in splits of 24.4 and 36.1, fractions that won’t win him any favours when eyeballed at the higher level.

SENSATIONAL MOVE proved his class with a brave run in the Grade 2 Bruceontheloose Sprint on Mouttet Mile Day. Breaking widest in the 10-horse field, SENSATIONAL MOVE matched strides with MONEY MARKET, both speedsters turning back favourite MOJITO in the stretch run.

However, Canadian ATLANTIC CONVOY, a get-out-of-jail expert, whose earnings could have won possibly won him a Mouttet Mile spot, sprouted wings a furlong and a half out to split MONEY MARKET and SENSATIONAL MOVE in a daring manoeuvre, which attracted the stewards’ attention.

SENSATIONAL MOVE got the brunt of ATLANTIC CONVOY’s bumper-car tactics, eased a half-furlong out by Raddesh Roman, disappearing from third to seventh among the also-rans.

The Bruceontheloose certainly wasn’t SENSATIONAL MOVE’s first clash with out-of-class ATLANTIC CONVOY, cut down by the cunningly trained foreigner in an overnight allowance at six furlongs last August after trying to make all against United States-bred IS THAT A FACT in the Hall of Fame Stakes in July.

CALIFORNIA CROWN continues to impress at exercise, zipping a half-mile in 47.1 on the round last week Saturday. However, SENSATIONAL MOVE is no pushover and will be taking it to the four-year-old from the get-go.