HEART OF FIRE shook things up at Sungai Besi as he and RED OCEAN formed the forecast for an unexpected 1-2 finish in the Class 3 – 1275m handicap. This twist left punters stunned, especially since they had their money on MILITARY FLAG, the hot favourite at RM7.
HEART OF FIRE made a splash in Malaysian racing with a whopping seven and three-quarter lengths victory in a Class 4 – 1300m race last November. But stepping up to Class 3 wasn’t all smooth sailing, with a rough outing a month later and a lackluster performance in the Chairman’s Trophy last March.
But HEART OF FIRE wasn’t about to give up. He roared back into action, showing off his speed from barrier 10. By the time they hit the 150m mark, he was ahead by a whopping six lengths.
Even though he looked a bit tired towards the end, HEART OF FIRE held on tight, securing victory by one and a quarter lengths. RED OCEAN made a late push for second place, while MILITARY FLAG had to settle for third. The surprise win left bettors scratching their heads, paying out a hefty RM153 for the win.
Meanwhile, in another thrilling race, MAINSTREAM kept his winning streak alive, notching up his fifth straight victory in the Stayers Stakes C over 1700m.
With three wins in Class 5 already, MAINSTREAM was on a roll, and he showed no signs of slowing down in a similar race over the same course and distance just three weeks ago.
Guided by apprentice Mohd Nazir, MAINSTREAM took the lead early on and never looked back as they entered the straight.
But just when it seemed like victory was in the bag, MONTANA FLASH came out of nowhere, overtaking MAINSTREAM at the 150m mark.
But MAINSTREAM wasn’t going down without a fight. In the final 50m, he dug deep, reclaiming the lead and crossing the finish line with just a half-length to spare. NORDIC GEM snatched second place in a nail-biting finish, leaving MONTANA FLASH in third.
