Kruz needs to be more cruisy but weight and short trip should see him go close on Saturday

Lincoln’s Kruz gets a big weight relief and runs over his favourite short trip at Trentham on Saturday but trainer Lisa Latta knows one more ingredient is still needed for him to win - and that’s a great big chill pill.

The talented galloper once again let himself down last Saturday when he pulled too hard to play any part in the $350,000 Telegraph, the feature sprint at the carnival.

That followed another madcap display in the birdcage - a sight becoming all too familiar before his recent races - which saw him taken down to the start early.

“He just wants to get going,” says Latta of the showy black whose form has stuttered since winning the Pegasus at Riccarton four starts back.

Lincoln’s Kruz sped over the 1000 metres that day in a slick 56.86, carrying 53kg, almost exactly the same conditions he will have in his favour this week.

In-form apprentice Lily Sutherland who is running hot in only her second season, with 22 winners.With hot apprentice Lily Sutherland taking the reins, the horse’s weight will come down to just 52kg, giving him a 3kg advantage over Pegasus runner-up Rockland, 4.5kg over likely favourite Burgundy Rose and 8kg over Te Akau’s Brando.

Latta is confident Sutherland can handle Lincoln’s Kruz, whose regular rider Lisa Allpress has switched to Rockland.

“Lily has ridden him at the jumpouts before and he went well for her.”

Lincoln’s Kruz won his 1000 metre heat that day, at Levin on December 13, flying over 1000 metres in 56.99.

“I just hope over 1000 metres they’ll go hard and run him off the bridle a bit,” says Latta who also suspects the quick one week back-up might also see him less hyped.

“He’s just pulling too hard and I don’t know whether putting the blinkers back on helped or not as he didn’t go any better last week.”

Latta believes the horse’s run in the Telegraph should be ignored as it was leagues harder and saw him giving weight to all the main principals like Levante and Babylon Berlin under the weight-for-age scale.

A better guide was his brave fourth behind Buoyant in the Stewards, the feature 1200 metre sprint at the cup meeting at Riccarton in November, when he over-raced and was held up badly in the run home.

On Saturday he has only seven rivals, four of which are out of form and lesser rated, and he reverts to 1000 metres, the distance of three of his five wins.