By Julio Guimaraes
Fragile as glass, hard as iron. Malibu Spring is the story of the horse that has been through the highs and the lows, the good and the bad. Another in the long list of the resilient, he is able to rebuild when everything seems lost. His is the life of the champion horse with character, one whose fragile forelimbs almost left him out of racing.
He is the one with the injured tendon, who was forced to keep away from the racing circuit for ten months. He is the one who was at severe risk of losing his life due to colic. Malibu Spring has suffered a lot, but he has shown he is also capable of winning any race he’s thrown into. He is a king without a crown. His is the story that inspires movies.
And now this 5yo Greenspring entire has added another feather to the already illustrious hat he wears by putting the Grade 2 La Plata Clasico Clausura down as one of his career scalps. The Marcelo Sueldo trained two-time Grade 1 winner claimed the 2,000m contest under jockey Gonzalo Borda, coming home five clear from the younger Lagarto Boy, who had previously placed second in the Grade 1 Gran Premio Dardo Rocha.
“Riding Malibu Spring is a unique experience. I feel very lucky. I must thank the trainer for trusting me”, said Borda, who led him to a seven length success on his previous start in the Grade 1 Gran Premio Palermo in November.After biding time under Borda, Malibu Spring went forward 800m out and simply pulled clear with the rest struggling to keep up.
It was an eighth triumph in nine starts for a horse that’s versatile when it comes to distance. He has victories from 1,200m all the way up to 2,000m, which include his successes over 1,600m in the Grade 1 Estrellas Mile and the aforementioned Gran Premio Palermo. The vets have worked hard on Malibu Spring, spending many hours trying to fix him with ice in their hands.
His troublesome right forelimb has gone under scanners numerous times, and his conditioner Sueldo’s dedication towards him needs to be saluted. Sueldo treats him as if he were made from crystal, but when it comes to racing, Malibu Spring most definitely seems forged of iron. Whatever his substance, Sueldo has definitely got Malibu Spring basking in the sheen of success!
