Record-priced R6 million purchase, Silver Coin, may yet make it into the big time despite his flop in the Langerman.

Hopes were high when the Silvano half-brother to Halve The Deficit made a winning debut in early April and he started favourite for the Langerman only to finish plumb last. There was an excuse – the veterinary examination ordered by the stipes revealed that the colt was not striding out behind – but seemingly there was more to it than that.

Silver Coin (Wayne Marks)

Joey Ramsden said: “The run was too bad to be true. He obviously had something not right but he faced an impossible task. He could have done with another run up the straight and the race came at the end of a spell of elevated temperatures when our horses weren’t running up to their best.”

The colt was given a break afterwards but he is now back in although Ramsden has yet to decide when he will reappear. However Dan Katz, making a hot start to his second training career with three winners in as many meetings, has his eye on Graded targets for Dex Dexter who made it two out of three when quickening well to land a mile handicap at Kenilworth a week ago.

Katz said: “I must keep my feet on the ground but I really do believe I’ve got something in Dex Dexter. Jason Smitsdorff told me that he thought Commander Bond had him beaten last week. Then he gave his horse a smack and it was all over.

“I would eventually like to run him against good horses in something like the Green Point but he is only rated 76 and he will have to tell me he is good enough by winning his next two starts.”

By Michael Clower