American sprinter Trinniberg has the ability to adapt

Newmarket, England: Trinniberg, winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita Park in California, looks just the right sort for the Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) on World Cup night.

Not all American sprinters are suited to racing at Meydan, but Trinniberg will almost certainly prove ideal. He has blistring early speed and carries it well. He has yet to race over anything but dirt but Trinniberg has picked up his five wins at five different tracks; Calder, Belmont Park, Aqueduct, Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita. It is safe to say that he is an adaptable guy.

After having been a bit in and out in his races through the 2012 season, mainly against fellow three-year-olds, Trinniberg stepped up to the plate when facing the best older speed merchants at the Breeders’ Cup in November. Santa Anita’s dirt track was favouring speed on the day, with few horses managing to make an impact by coming from behind, and he took full advantage of that bias.

Ridden by Willie Martinez, Trinniberg broke sharply from post nine, moved forward with some purpose and was soon able to tack over to the inside. Another of the longshots, Sum of the Parts, who had pulled his way keenly forward from stall one, joined him on the lead and Trinniberg was soon in a perfect rhythm just to the outside of this rival.

He was, as one could have predicted, able to carry his speed a lot further than Sum of the Parts, who tired at the finish but did hang on for fourth place. Trinniberg just kept going, he took a clear lead a furlong out and ran out a game winner, three parts of a length in front of another three-year-old,

The Lumber Guy, who had previously taken the King’s Bishop Stakes (G1) at Saratoga, with the high class older sprinter Smiling Tiger back in third. Trinniberg returned almost 14-1 on the course and some bookmakers overseas had him as big as 25-1. His was was a bit of a surprise by an improving young sprinter.

However, he did not win a vintage renewal of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, and one should not make the mistake in thinking that Trinniberg is in the same class as previous North American raiders like Kinsale King and Caller One, but he is a solid runner and he could well improve this year. If he does, he can win more big races.

Trained by Shivananda Parbhoo, he is a son of the smart sprinter Teuflesberg, who (although misspelt) was named after a famous hill in Berlin.

Geir Stabell is the publishing-Editor of Newmarket-based Globeform