Easy as pie from Good Luck Charm as Logan honours Laxon
It was meat pies all round after Good Luck Charm was punched home for trainer Donna Logan in the S$50,000 Top Knight Stakes Class 4 Division 1 race over 1400m.
Glasses of bubbly are the usual celebratory drinks to go around the Kiwi’s table of friends upstairs when one of her wards scores, albeit not quite since the Grandstand had been without crowds for a year or so, but she had this time round baked some bacon and egg pies to honour the memory of a fellow New Zealander, legendary trainer Laurie Laxon who passed away on Thursday.
The reason for the switch to the crusty pastry as the victory treat of choice was simple. Laxon was also a legend with an apron, and often handed out homemade meat pies to both his staff and fellow Kranji colleagues at the tracks.
When Logan started out at Kranji in 2018, the nine-time Singapore champion trainer had already left, but their paths often crossed when Laxon was still based in New Zealand (he moved to Kranji in 2000 while Logan began training in 1987).
“Laurie’s stables were four hours away from mine (Ruakaka), but we all knew him. He was a legend in his own right,” said Logan.
“I was a young trainer who had just started out while he was already a great stalwart at home. When his wife Sheila won the Melbourne Cup (with Ethereal in 2001), we celebrated together with them and the Velas at Flemington.
“I was told he was a great meat pie baker, and I decided to make some bacon, egg and tomato pies, which is a traditional Kiwi pie, and bring them to the races today. Everybody’s been eating them, it’s great!”
On the horse who has now helped Logan scoop up two slices of the pie of races at Kranji in the last two months, she put the return to winning ways of the Thai-owned The Factor (War Front) five-year-old entire down to greater professionalism.
An author of five wins in the first five months of the 2021 season, the stable then went through a quiet patch with only Good Luck Charm proving to be just that with his back-to-back wins, both coming in Class 4 Polytrack 1200s.
The 3-1 favourite was one of the best away from out wide but with as many as six horses spread across the track upfront, and locked in battle for the early supremacy, Wong wisely stayed out of it, happy to drop off and take a sit back a couple of lengths astern.
Into the home straight, surprisingly, most of the speed contenders were still alive, but Good Luck Charm was clearly the freshest horse on the scene the moment he was peeled out for his run towards clear daylight.
The well-fancied Water Rocket (Orpen) mounted a stiff resistance but eventually threw in the towel to run second a length and three quarters away with Wild Bee (Niagara) third another length away. The winning time was 1min 11.57secs for the Polytrack 1200m.
“He has started to learn about his races more professionally. He’s got better at it,” said Logan, who did not think the switch from pacifiers to blinkers at the last two runs were the only factor to the recent upturn.
“Instead of pushing the button to go early, he is now more attuned to saving his best effort for last.
“He may still be an entire, but he’s a real gentleman at home, a lovely horse to train. Jimmy (Wong) knows how to ride him, he’s won the last two on him, they really get along.”
The former two-time Singapore champion apprentice jockey continued his rich vein of form with a second win aboard Sound The Siren (Snitzel) four races later in the S$50,000 Spanish Bay 2015 Stakes, a Class 4 race over the Polytrack mile. The double takes Wong’s score to 23 wins, inching him closer to the leading duo of Danny Beasley (27 wins) and Vlad Duric (26 wins).
Good Luck Charm has now taken his record to five wins from 26 starts for around S$165,000 in the stakes account, with the first three wins coming for Singapore champion owner Falcon Racing Stable. Following the passing of its racing manager Krit Chisatteni in May, some of the cards have been redealt among the spinoff Thai outfits – like Good Luck Charm who now sports the Kajorn Petch Racing No 9 Stable colours made famous by 2017 Singapore Horse of the Year Infantry (Tavistock).
“After Krit’s passing, some of their horses were reshuffled around. Falcon Stable is still around, but some people have decided not to retain a share in some horses, like in Good Luck Charm’s case,” said Logan.
One race earlier (S$30,000 Inferno 2020 Stakes, a Class 5 Division 1 race over 1200m), the sky blue colours of the Falcon Stable nearly shone for Logan, but Gamely (Golden Archer) eventually went down by three parts of a length to odds-on favourite (S$9) King Zoustar (Zoustar).
Sweet day as Logan ‘Acheeves’ first Kranji treble
Champion trainer Michael Clements may have yet again hogged the spotlight in the main event with Starlight (Headwater), but it was trainer Donna Logan who won the trainer’s challenge hands down with her first Singapore hat-trick of wins yesterday.
The Kiwi mentor might not be a frequent headline-maker like Clements, but she did lay claim to one of the local racing calendar’s most important races this season, the S$1 million Kranji Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) with Minister (Street Sense) in May.
Barring that one milestone, winners have, however, been hard to come by. Prior to the prolific day, she had picked up only six wins by the season’s halfway mark (by June 30), which would be, on paper, way off the score she needed to match or better her best local haul of 27 winners (for a 13th place) at her sophomore season in 2019.
But a sign of a turnaround could be in the works after her formidable day out on Sunday.
From seven previous doubles among her tally of 68 winners at Kranji, Logan looked all set for an eighth one after Good Luck Charm (The Factor) and Makkem Lad (Kuroshio) delivered, but she was this time able to go one better in the very next race with Qiji Acheeva (Anacheeva).
It was not just savoury snacks to toast to the treble with, as she also had a special sweet treat from New Zealand to go along, pineapple lumps (unlike pies, they are not homemade but are candies that come in bright yellow wraps), and it goes without saying, a few flutes of champagne, albeit not the most orthodox cocktail of food and beverages to celebrate a big day at the races!
“Shane Baertschiger was so nice as he gave me some pineapple lumps at the races. They are traditional lollies from back home,” she said.
“So it wasn’t just meat pies, but also some sweets. It was a wonderful day.”
Needless to say all her three winners are in for a carrot treat, too, with Makkem Lad probably given a few extra sugar cubes and cuddles. Even if Minister, a recent transfer from Lee Freedman, is the new stable hero, Makkem Lad remained Logan’s pet horse.
The five-year-old has been there for Logan from day one, and has been her winningest resident with seven wins, the latest being Sunday’s in the S$85,000 Super Easy 2012 Stakes Class 2 race over 1200m.
“He’s one of my favourite horses. He may be small, but he has the biggest heart and the biggest motor,” she said.
Fame Star (Twirling Candy), who in his heyday, broke the hearts of the best sprinters around, looked to be back in the same frontrunning mood when he kicked clear at the top of the straight, but Makkem Lad who was backed down to S$12 favouritism, pegged the former EW Barker Trophy (Gr 2, 1400m) winner back inside the last furlong to score with one length to spare.
Songgong Hera (Spirit Of Boom) sprang up as another serious challenger at around the same time, but unlike Makkem Lad, could not quite finish it off to settle for third place another length and a quarter away. The winning time was 1min 8.78secs for the 1200m on the Short Course.
If there was only one sour note – other than the pineapple lump – it was meant to be Logan’s apprentice jockey Fadzli Yusoff’s ride, but leading apprentice jockey Hakim Kamaruddin did not let the chance go begging.
“Yusoff was doing a gallop on a young maiden horse on the uphill track, but the saddle slipped, and the horse stood on him,” said Logan who had two winning combinations with Mark Walker’s boom apprentice jockey last year, Good Luck Charm and Official (The Factor).
“He had sores and bruises, but luckily, nothing broken. It’s a shame for him as he knows Makkem Lad so well, but Hakim listened to the instructions to a tee and got the job done.
“I told him there would be a lot of speed in the race, and that Makkem Lad can lead but he doesn’t have to if someone else is faster.
“I told him to dictate what happens, just wait and see how the race pans out, and he got the horse in a lovely spot.”
Makkem Lad has now amassed more than S$400,000 in stakes earnings from his seven wins for the Eden Park Stud Stable, still about S$600,000 off million-dollar horse Minister, but to Logan, his contribution to her yard’s success is priceless.
Straight after Makkem Lad, S$42 chance Qiji Acheeva, also in Eden Park’s purple and white stars, took out the S$50,000 Gingerbread Man 2011 Stakes Class 4 Division 2 race for a tour de force Logan will long remember.
Oceans apart, but Bird brothers fly home on same day
The Singapore Derby (Gr 1, 1800m) comes up next Sunday, but trainer Shane Baertschiger might have a serious prospect for next year’s renewal if Red Ocean’s (Ocean Park) dominant all-the-way win in the S$75,000 War Affair 2014 Stakes, a Novice race over 1400m is anything to go by.
A half-brother to Baertschiger’s Group winner Preditor (by Savabeel – both out of Danasinga mare Bird), the three-year-old opened his account in a similar seven-furlong contest with a gutsy win in Restricted Maiden company three weeks ago.
However, the follow-up looked even more impressive on what turned out to be also a good day out for the family in two different countries. More pointedly from a big-race potential perspective, there was certainly a touch of class from the way Red Ocean made light of a few curveballs thrown at him this time around.
The start was delayed when two horses (Our Final Offer and Dragon Sands) reared in the gates separately and were subsequently scratched, but Red Ocean never turned a hair inside his barrier five and flew the lids when they were finally sent on their way.
And when King Arthur (I Am Invincible) came eye-balling him midrace, he again shook off the pesky presence like a seasoned galloper, absorbing the pressure with aplomb to still go through the line towards a cruisy three-length win.
Donning cheekpieces for the first time, Prodigal (Proisir) was still not the easiest conveyance to navigate around in a more rearward spot than usual, but still worked home nicely for second place, three-quarter length ahead of Ricvelo (Toronado). The winning time was 1min 23.21secs for the 1400m on the Short Course.
“Danny told me he stood there for so long, but still came out half-a-length clear when they jumped,” said Baertschiger.
“He did have a soft lead, but when the second horse took him on from the 600m, it didn’t worry him.
“He has definitely improved from his last win. He will be a Derby horse next year.”
Incidentally, another half-brother, but a full-brother to 2018 Jumbo Jet Trophy (Gr 3, 1400m) winner Preditor, also won on the same day in Australia, two-year-old colt Shadow Hawk and prepared by the same former trainer for Preditor, Trent Busuttin in partnership with Natalie Young.
“Trent had a full-brother to Preditor who won at Warracknabeal (in a Maiden 1200m) today, Shadow Hawk,” said Baertschiger who forged his friendship and business ties with the son of trainer Paddy Busuttin from the time they were both assistant-trainers to their fathers (Shane’s was Don) at Kranji.
“He’s also by Savabeel and out of Bird like Preditor. Family’s doing great.”
Red Ocean may still have some way to go before he comes close to big bro Preditor’s S$590,000 stakes earnings, but it’s fair to say he is well on his way with S$84,000 already pocketed from his two wins from five starts.
Ten-out-of-ten performance as 10yo racks up win No 10
Old marvel Super Six’s (Kaphero) win may have come in a Class 5 Division 2 Polytrack race, but trainer Jason Lim was still feeling “Ontop” of the world on Sunday.
Yes, that 10th win from the ten-year-old felt a bit like a walk down memory lane for the famous yellow and green colours of the Ontop Stable carried to multiple victories by former Singaporean trainer and long-serving president of the Association of Racehorse Trainers Singapore Bernard Ang, but it was above all the racing longevity of the son of Kaphero (Danzero) that gave Lim a bigger kick.
Not forgetting the way the old boy gave his younger rivals a real galloping lesson in the S$30,000 Debt Collector 2016 Stakes.
Taking the bull by the horn from the start, Super Six went on to lead them a merry dance with a two-and-a-half length romp in 1min 12.51secs for the Polytrack 1200m.
New Garden (War) and Decreto (Red Giant) were the closest to get a sight of their senior’s rump, with the former winning the battle for the minors by a head.
Super Six came to Lim from Leticia Dragon’s yard in September 2019, scoring right off the bat in a Class 4 1100m speed dash for the Singaporean handler. It’s been a long time between drinks but the fact that he went through another 20 starts without a single visit to the vet and still grind out another win at his advanced age was to Lim the real feat.
“All along, Super Six never let down in his trackwork. He still works like a three-year-old,” said the Australian-trained handler.
“He never needed an i.a (intra-arterial injection) or a vet. He’s very sound and such longevity is good for his owners.
“Joel Tan part-owns him and runs him in his dad’s famous colours when he was with Bernard Ang. The other partner is the Black Diamond Racing Stable who owns Diamond Mine.”
After being thereabouts at his recent runs, especially when the white earmuffs came on, Lim had some grounds to be confident, even if there is always a question mark how the age gap will play out at the business end.
“I have to say he won impressively today. He beat younger horses by two and a halflengths,” he said.
“At his last two starts over 1100m, he was overracing, and that spoiled his chances. So I decided to step him up to 1200m and get the freshness off him.
“That’s why he led today, and he was able to go all the way. Like I said, he’s sound, and if he keeps going this way, why not have a few more seasons with him.”
Super Six may not have competed past Class 3 level in his nine seasons (that also included David Kok and Sam Chua as trainers) at Kranji, but his prize-money has now got even closer to the half-a-million dollar mark.
His sire, Kaphero, a top Australian sprinter in the mid-2000s and who died in 2019, did not have many progeny at Kranji, but there is one who is still going around, the Daniel Meagher-trained Lim’s Knight, a seven-time winner who is two years younger, but the most prolific was Super Winner, who won 11 races for ex-Kranji trainer Theo Kieser and is still racing up in Malaysia where he won another two races, and still races in the famous black and white colours of Soh Seng Lye, the father of Titanium Racing Stable’s Jeffrey Soh.