By Michael Lee, Singapore Turf Club
Trainer Desmond Koh is glad he gave Sun Ops another two weeks to sharpen up ahead of his racing comeback this Sunday.
The Sun Bloodstock Racing Stable’s speedy customer was one of the entries to a Class 2 race over 1100m on August 15, which would have then meant a 14-week spell since his last start in a Class 3 race over 1100m on May 9.
That day, the son of I Am Invincible led as he did at his first two winning Kranji starts, but shortened strides late to finish third to Ocean Crossing for his first taste of defeat.
But Koh gave the August 15 race a miss in the end, preferring to put the five-year-old’s comeback off to this Sunday’s $70,000 Class 3 race over 1000m instead for 16 weeks in between races.
“I wanted to give him one more gallop. So I pulled him out of that race from two weeks ago, and he won a nice trial last week,” said the Singaporean handler.
“Besides, I think the Class 2 would have been a bit too strong. In saying this, he’s in a Class 3 race this Sunday, but it still looks like he’s up in class against good horses like Songgong Hera and Ararat Lady.
“Even though he won in Class 3 company (at his second start on April 18), the field wasn’t as strong. This Sunday’s is the real deal.
“The 58kgs is also a big concern, but I hope he can still do it. I was still happy with his last start when he led, even if he faded late.
“I gave him a freshen-up, probably more because there weren’t any races for him.”
As expected, Oscar Chavez, who has been aboard at all of Sun Ops’ starts bar his debut win with Noh Senari up and his recent barrier trials, will be in the saddle.
The Panamanian jockey rode the former two-time Newcastle 990m winner (then known as Covert Ops and prepared by Gerald Ryan) at his barrier trial on Thursday when they dictated terms from the jump before they put daylight on the chasing pack, breezing up by four lengths from Universal Empire.
“It was just a barrier trial, he has to bring it to the races,” said Koh in his typical low-key style.
“I told Oscar to give him a squeeze in the straight and he put it away nicely. That was the gallop I felt he needed to top him off.
“Oscar will ride him this Sunday. I could have used an apprentice jockey for a bit of weight relief, but Oscar knows him well and has been working with him for a while.”
Regardless of what Sun Ops does this Sunday, it will be a useful guide towards his future endeavours.
“He’s a Polytrack horse and does what a sprinter does,” said Koh.
“If he keeps going through his grades, I may look at the Merlion Trophy for him at the end of the year.
“It’s a Polytrack race, but it’d have been much better over 1000m or 1100m.”
The $110,000 Group 3 Merlion Trophy (1200m) is the only Polytrack feature left on the racing calendar. Traditionally staged in April and formerly run as a Group 2 event, it was in the last two years run in August and will this time bring curtains to the season on November 27.
