By Michael Lee, Singapore Turf Club
Bold frontrunner Ironchamp stole a march on his Class 3 rivals to make all in the $70,000 race over seven furlongs on Sunday.
Carrying only 50.5kgs courtesy of apprentice jockey Jerlyn Seow Poh Hui’s three-kilo claim, Ironchamp put a wing on every foot the moment he landed in front in the 11-horse field.
Into the home straight, Circuit Mission (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) and Elite Incredible (Simon Kok Wei Hoong) tried to put an indent into the margin, but to no avail.
Just when Ironchamp looked off and gone, King’s Command (Matthew Kellady) did give backers of the $21 shot a scare when he came rattling home on the outside in his bright lime colours, only to come up short by one length.
Last-start winner Circuit Mission couldn’t quite muster the same turn of foot this time to settle for third place another half-length away. The winning time was 1min 21.78secs for the 1400m on the Long Course.
Winning trainer Steven Burridge was saddling only his second winner for the year, but his first while being on hand at Kranji. First 2022 winner Seson scored on January 22 when the veteran Australian handler was back home on a holiday visit, which was made longer when he tested positive to COVID-19.
“Finally a change of luck for the yard,” he said.
“This is a free-running type of horse who needs to have things his way when he goes forward. Sometimes, it goes his way, sometimes it doesn’t.
“Last time it wasn’t the rider’s (Krisna Thangamani) fault as another horse took him on.
“Jerlyn rode him well. I told her to let the horse gallop along and not to ride him out until the last 200m, and she did just that.
Interestingly, the Singaporean apprentice jockey was at only her first win for Burridge, to whom she was previously indentured when she just picked up the riding caper.
“I first joined Leslie Khoo before going to Steven Burridge. I then went to Mark Walker and now Donna Logan,” said Seow.
“It’s great to ride a winner for my former boss. I rode only twice for him before, Ironclad, and this was my third ride.
“The horse was always travelling well and I wasn’t worried he was so far in front, but I got a bit worried when I heard the horses coming at him in the last bit, but luckily, he held on.”
A five-year-old by Glass Harmonium, Ironchamp was posting his fourth win from 23 starts for prizemoney in excess of $180,000 for the C K Stable.
