Champagne Finale bursts bubble for hot favourite
Hot favourite Sure Will Do (Per Incanto) was beaten yesterday, but one person who believed he could be rolled this time round was his nemesis Champagne Finale’s (All Too Hard) winning jockey, Ryan Munger.
The South African rider, who will be at his farewell meeting next Sunday, had done his homework, and concluded that Sure Will Do, though unbeaten in two starts, might be vulnerable in the Class 4 Division 1 race over 1200 metres.
Sure Will Do’s skinny odds of $8, however, suggested Munger still belonged to a small minority, not to mention his own mount Champagne Finale’s $185 quote would have even fewer sharing his optimism.
Obviously, Munger held that silent hope close to his chest heading into the race, and his calculations proved to be spot-on.
The race panned out as he had anticipated. Sure Will Do elected for his customary leading tactics, but unlike at his first two wins, he had to burn a bit more petrol from his wider alley to replicate that pattern.
On the other hand, Munger was able to settle Champagne Finale, who drew better in four, into a nice trail in the box-seat right on the hammer of the hotpot.
Into the straight, on a track all cut up from the rain, Sure Will Do spun out to be the first to greet the judge, but was soon paddling and certainly not travelling like an odds-on favourite should.
Munger for one didn’t waste a second the moment he picked up the signals of distress. He quickly angled Champagne Finale out for his run, and 250 metres out, the charmed run was already over for Sure Will Do, who capitulated rather quickly to run third.
Carrying only 51 kilograms and four kilos less than Sure Will Do, Champagne Finale pulled clear to go and score by three-quarter length from Pattaya (Sacred Falls), who also finished in advance of Sure Will Do, with half-a-length the beaten margin.
“To be honest, I thought the favourite would face his toughest race today,” said Munger.
“He was giving my horse weight and the last time he won, the second horse was Day Approach, who was disappointing at his next race. So the last formline was not so strong.
“I also knew he would have to come from around me to lead this time. I was able to track him up and it’s worked out beautifully for us.
“When I saw Pattaya out three wide, the two horses I had to worry about were in my sights. When the field split open, I had the gaps to go through and he was too good.”
Winning trainer Donna Logan said she was actually worried when the rain came pelting down as the five-year-old prefers to race on top of the ground.
“I was concerned when the rain came, but because it was the first race that would have a wet track, we got away with it,” said the Kiwi handler.
“At his last race, he went well and it’s good to see he’s gone well again, but as his odds would tell you, we weren’t exactly confident of a win today.”
Though a little downcast after the race, trainer Stephen Gray had already put a line through Sure Will Do’s run.
“He didn’t handle the track. He’ll go for a break and he’ll bounce back,” he said.
Unfortunately, it was not a memorable day for Gray after he saddled another favourite Heavenly Dancer (Echoes Of Heaven) who also got beaten, albeit by a narrower margin, in the last race, the Class 4 Division 2 race over 1200 metres.
The four-year-old plotted a wide course to enter the straight in search of the better part of the track, but Silent Partner (Dandy Man) snuck up on his inside to deny him by half-a-length.
Either way, an Iron-clad result for Clements
The only thing leading trainer Michael Clements could be sure of after the running of yesterday’s $50,000 Class 4 race over 1700 metre was the addition of one more to his tally, but as to the identity of who turned provider to that 55th win for the year, he just had to wait a bit longer.
Stablemates Iron Ruler (Dissident) and Voluminous (Nathaniel) staged a ding-dong battle that began from the top of the lane all the way to the winning post for a cliffhanger of a finish that even the judge had to view through a magnifying glass.
Favourite Iron Ruler ($14) clearly took at least a neck advantage at some stage, but Voluminous, who led after whipping around from the second-worst gate, valiantly fought his way back on the fence.
It was so close that not many dared hazard a guess who won the bob. Even assistant-trainer Michael White was leaning more towards the less-fancied Voluminous on the inside, but the judge eventually handed his verdict: Iron Ruler by a nose.
From a premiership perspective, Clements would not be too picky about who had helped put a bit more daylight between him and Mark Walker.
The Zimbabwean-born trainer is now 12 winners clear on the defending champion and should, barring an improbable twist of fortunes, collect his first local title in 22 years of training on December 27.
“It’s a good result for both horses,” said White, filling in for Clements.
“Iron Ruler is still a work in progress but when he gets the rails, he really finds another gear. Today, he had to come on the outside, but he still did a good job to win.
“As for Voluminous, she put the writing on the wall at her last start. It wasn’t the plan to go forward, but Ryan (Munger, jockey) made the right decision.
“She’s a dour staying mare who has improved a lot. We thought she’d be a decent chance today.
“If she pulls up well, there is a Class 4 race over 2000 metres for her next week.”
The hard-fought win also mirrored the way Vlad Duric has been finding the going in the concluding stages in his bid to secure a fourth consecutive Singapore champion jockey title.
Clear by 20 winners at one stage, the Australian has seen his lead melt to only seven winners on Ruan Maia.
Fewer races, suspensions, getting stood down (through dehydration like last Saturday), and more pointedly, the insatiable hunger to win of the Brazilian have in some way or another anchored Duric down a bit this season.
But whether it’s a win earned by the skin of his teeth or ten lengths, Duric has now edged his lead to eight wins, which even the most conservative of observers would see as enough to see him clinch a fourth crown.
“If it wasn’t a dead-heat, I thought we’d won. It could’ve gone either way,” said Duric.
“We wanted to lead but as Ryan wanted to go forward, we took a sit, but my horse is better on the rails.
“I think if he had kept the lead, he would have won by one length. I know him better from the ride today.”