By Sharon Zhang, Singapore Turf Club
Trainer Fim Fitzsimmons has his eyes on the bigger riches after favourite Illustrious overcame a tardy getaway to claim the $75,000 Class 3 race (1200m) on Saturday.
There was a slight delay to the penultimate race after Quadcopter (Akmazani Mazuki) played up in the gates and was scratched behind the gates.
Upon barrier rise, Illustrious jumped a fraction slow but jockey Vlad Duric kept his composure by allowing the five-year-old son of Top Echelon to find his feet and sit outside leader I Am Sacred (Wong Chin Chuen).
The four-time Singapore champion jockey scrubbed up his mount while turning for home and the striking grey strode past I Am Sacred in no time.
Songgong Hera (Simon Kok Wei Hoong) gave chase at the 200m, but the race was all over after $9 shot Illustrious posted a one-and-a-quarters length victory.
Class dropper Quarter Back (Ibrahim Mamat) stormed home from even further back on the outside to eventually pip Songgong Hera by a nose to run second.
The winning time was 1min 11.4secs for the 1200m on the Polytrack.
With his proven record of five wins on the Polytrack over six furlongs in 14 starts, Illustrious had not only accumulated over $220,000 in prizemoney for the Buffalo Stable, but also had Fitzsimmons targeting the Group 3 Merlion Trophy (1200m) for him.
“The horse does get a little bit anxious in the barrier. They loaded him late and he stood there for a while and he was slow away,” said the Australian conditioner, who regained the lead in the trainers’ premiership on 46 wins (one clear of Donna Logan who fired blanks) with a three-timer after Buuraq and Ace Sovereign saluted on Saturday.
“It was good to see him win in a different way, by sitting off the pace.
“This horse has got a lot of ability. He keeps improving and I think a race like the Merlion Trophy next year would be suitable for him.
“For now, he would probably have one or two more runs this year, then a little break before we send him for the Merlion (Trophy).”
Though held in November last year, the only sprint feature on the all-weather surface in Singapore will not be held this season, but instead, it was moved to February 4, 2023.
Duric, who was also the winning partner when Illustrious last won in a Class 4 race two starts ago, was not bullish about his chances before the race, but said he won on his own merits.
“I wasn’t that confident before the race because I think it’s a strong race, but I was hopeful,” he said of his 20th winner this season.
“The late start did not help him. He’s a sensitive horse, that’s why they loaded him last.
“But to his credit when he missed the start and yet managed to get into a nice position, he relaxed for me. That won him the race.”
Other worthy mentions
Fitzsimmons and Wong Chin Chuen took the respective honours on the trainers’ and jockeys’ logs with a hat-trick of wins each on Saturday.
While the two combined with Buuraq ($16) and Ace Sovereign ($23) to take out the $50,000 Class 4 Division 1 race (1200m) and the $50,000 Class 4 race (1600m) respectively, Fitzsimmons scored his third win with Illustrious (see report above) and Wong scored aboard Cash Cove ($25) in the $75,000 Novice race over 1100m (see earlier report).
Wong has now 36 wins under his belt and sits in second on the jockeys’ premiership, 22 behind tearaway leader Manoel Nunes, who is reported to be making his riding comeback this month after a race fall accident in June.
Trainer Michael Clements, who is currently in South Korea to oversee Celavi’s preparation work and run in the Group 3 Korea Sprint (1200m) on Sunday, welcomed two winners.
First-up after nearly four months, Dixit Dominus ($14) got off the mark in a nail-biting finish at his seventh start in the $30,000 Class 5 race (1100m) under apprentice jockey Ibrahim Mamat, while Pattaya ($34) put paid to his rivals in the $50,000 Class 4 Division 2 race (1200m) under a strong drive from Duric.
Besides Duric, jockey Bernardo Pinheiro bookended the meeting with a double courtesy of Fortune Star ($21) in the $30,000 Class 5 race (1600m) and Opunake ($56) in the $50,000 Class 4 race (1100m) while apprentice jockey Krisna Thangamani bagged two winners in Ibex ($17) in the $20,000 Maiden race (1200m) and City Hall ($38) in the $30,000 Class 5 Division 2 race (1200m).
