Hakim produces top ride on So Hi Class
Irish import So Hi Class (Dark Angel) benefitted from a light weight and an ideal hold-up run in midfield to post a brilliant win in the S$70,000 Class 3 race over 1600m yesterday.
With only 52.5kgs courtesy of leading apprentice jockey Hakim Kamaruddin’s two-kilo claim and a dream run on the rails, the five-year-old sliced through the pack at the 300m with a devastating acceleration which none of his 11 rivals would be able to match.
The Kuwaiti-owned galloper showed no signs of letting up even when the swoopers like King’s Command (Tavistock), Federation (Written Tycoon) and his better-fancied stablemate Tiger Roar (Wandjina) came descending on him thick and fast.
So Hi Class ($21) showed plenty of ticker to hold down a length and a quarter margin on the fast-closing King’s Command with race-leader Circuit Mission (High Chaparral) hanging on gamely for third place another head away.
A little hampered for a run in the home straight – Juan Paul van der Merwe was seen checking him when the gaps closed – Federation still boxed on well to just miss a podium finish by a short head. The winning time was 1min 35.03secs for the mile on the Long Course.
“He had a nice draw and a lovely run in transit. That was a big help,” said winning trainer Michael Clements’ assistant-trainer Michael White.
“I told Hakim the key to this horse is to get cover behind the leaders, and only then, he will show a nice turn of foot.
“I also told him he’s a horse who will jump well, but he should lock him down and make sure he’s not keen.
“He was unlucky not to have won last start. We thought Class 3 would be tough for him, but he proved us wrong.
“We’ve been thinking about putting Hakim on this horse for a while. We know how well he’s going and we’re fortunate to have him on today.”
With a riding double earned after he brought up one winner earlier – Marcus Antonius (Sepoy) for his master Mark Walker – Hakim cements his massive lead in the Singapore apprentice jockeys’ premiership. The Kelantan-born rider now sits well clear on top with 25 winners, a whopping 16 clear of Krisna Thangamani who, however, was able to cut back the lead with a mid-programme buffer on the Kuah Cheng Tee-trained Flying Yellow (Reliable Man) in the S$30,000 Class 5 Division 2 race over the Polytrack mile.
So Hi Class has now taken his handy record to four wins and two thirds from 15 starts for stakes money closing in on the S$140,000 mark for the Al Rashid Stable.
Tiger Roar who was making a last-ditch attempt to get into the Kranji Mile (Gr 1, 1600m) on May 22, spurned his chances with a moderate fifth place given only a big win could have saved him. Usually a get-back horse who wins his races coming off looping runs from the 600m, he was too far back this time, and though he lost no marks with a late run, it was not the result the Clements camp needed for a berth in the S$1 million feature race next Saturday.
Galaxy Star surprises Baertschiger with all-the-way victory
The new Shane Baertschiger-Mohd Zaki partnership gained further fraction after Galaxy Star (Fastnet Rock) stormed to the front shortly after the start to never relinquish that advantage yesterday.
Regarded for many years as that journeyman who struggles to get the pick of the rides at Kranji, the nonetheless hard-working Zaki was rewarded for his never-say-die attitude when, by a stroke of luck, he became the lucky recipient of the winning ride on Baertschiger’s Nepean (Roman Emperor) after jockey Matthew Kellady was stood down in last year’s EW Barker Trophy (Gr 2, 1400m) on November 15.
While there was a belief it would be just a shooting star with no tomorrow for the Malaysian, who turns 41 in nine days, an offer from the Australian trainer to work full-time for him soon landed on his lap, turning out to be the career upgrade he had almost given up on.
Zaki was of course sad to clear his locker at the Hideyuki Takaoka yard after taking root there for so many years since moving across the Causeway as a young wide-eyed apprentice jockey from Kelantan, the cradle of many of our local jockeys, but with better opportunities awaiting him at Baertschiger, it was time to open a new chapter.
This year alone, the upward change in fortunes was visible with three winners already under the belt, all for Baertschiger, just one shy of his grand total of four in 2020, with 4-1 chance Galaxy Star’s all-the-way win in Saturday’s S$50,000 Class 4 Division 1 race over 1200m the latest feather to the budding association’s Acap.
And not departing from a winning formula, Zaki, who has over the years built up a reputation as a rider of frontrunners, just like he did on Longhu (Per Incanto) and Maceo (Showcasing), albeit up with the pace in second place), he punched Galaxy Star to the front en route to that third hurrah.
Valorous (So You Think) came chipping away at the margin but could only put an indent up to three-quarter length while Baertschiger’s second runner Summer Wind (Hidden Dragon) took third place three an a half lengths away.
In 17 starts, Galaxy Star, a five-year-old son of Fastnet Rock (Danehill), has now recorded two wins, one second and two thirds for stakes earnings around the S$85,000 mark for the Ronaldo Stable.
Dr Kardo takes his medicine with win over sprint
Hot favourite Dr Kardo (Not A Single Doubt) kept his backers happy even if he had to do it the hard way with a gutsy maiden win in the S$20,000 Open Maiden race over 1100m.
Sent out at prohibitive odds of S$6, the four-year-old was straight on the chewy from barrier rise, but had to contend with a vastly-improved second-up competitor in Lim’s Denali (Darci Brahma) on his inside for most of the way.
Tracking up one off the fence to the point of the turn, Dr Kardo looked the goods when he was given full bore to collar Lim’s Stable’s filly, but the latter turned out to be a surprisingly formidable foe, only throwing in the towel in the shadows of the post.
Dr Kardo went on to assert his superiority to land the spoils by one length with third place avidly contested between Alexander (Zacinto) and Good Fight (Super One) just under three lengths away. The nod went to the former by a short head.
Racing in the pink and white Barree Stable colours, Dr Kardo clocked 1min 5.25secs for the 1100m on the Polytrack.
Winning trainer James Peters said he was a little bit concerned about the quick back-up – 14 days since his debut second to Wawasan (Jakkalberry) in a similar Open Maiden race over 1000m – but Dr Kardo acquitted himself brilliantly considering the trip did not really suit.
“It’s not easy for a horse who had such a long time away (since his Australian racing days which finished up back in May 2019) to be on the quick back-up,” said Peters.
“We always worry about the second-up syndrome, it was a workmanlike win, no doubt, but he got the job done. He wants to go over more ground.
“Today as he drew well, I didn’t want to complicate things and told Vlad to ride him positive.”
Previously under the care of Cliff Brown, Dr Kardo was transferred to Peters when the former Kranji-based Australian trainer returned to Victoria in March. A stakes earner of A$8,125 from a third place in a 1150m race at Randwick Kensington when prepared by Chris Waller, Dr Kardo has made almost twice that amount in two starts from his maiden Kranji win and previous second place – around S$14,000.
The Barree Stable were hoping for back-to-back wins with their Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (Gr 3, 1200m) winner Boomba (Showcasing) in the next event, the S$50,000 Class 4 Division 2 race over 1200m, but the Tim Fitzsimmons-trained three-year-old had to settle for second place to the Mark Walker-trained Just Landed (Jimmy Choux).
Golden Flame reignited to another win
Donna Logan paid compliments to her apprentice jockey Yusoff Fadzli for a cool and astute ride astride Golden Flame (Mossman), even when the pre-race tactics did not pan out as planned.
Lined up in the S$50,000 Class 4 race over the turf mile, the six-year-old took a rearward spot on the rails – not quite the positive ride the Kiwi handler had wanted from the Malaysian rider.
But Yusoff showed plenty of maturity by pulling out Plan B, which can basically be summed up in two words: ‘Don’t panic’.
Keeping his fingers crossed the runs would still present themselves despite being further back than he wanted, Yusoff indeed had luck on his side when, momentarily stuck behind three runners two furlongs out, leader Superlative (Ferlax), Asaad (Orpen) and Atlas (Atlante), he made his own luck by peeling off their heels in search of daylight on the outside.
A few strides astern, favourite Relentless (Hallowed Crown) was joining the fray down the middle of the track with his customary turn of speed, but suddenly hit a brickwall, which pretty much dashed his chances to the ground there and then.
Golden Flame ($81) had on the other hand hit top gear once he found himself in more ample galloping room, going on to score by three parts of a length from Superlative with Atlas third another head away. The winning time was 1min 35.84secs for the 1600m on the Long Course.
Golden Flame has now established a handy record of five wins and 12 placings from 32 starts for prize-money in excess of S$240,000 for the Golden Billion Stable.