Duma ticking over nicely

The RC Stable and trainer Frank Maynard must hold their talented four-year-old galloper Duma in high esteem.

With five wins and six placings from 13 starts since Sept 22, 2024, his record is close to impeccable.

The Too Darn Hot gelding takes on a Class 3 field (1,100m) on March 15.

With some in-form runners like Anego and Cool Sixty-One, Duma will have his work cut out for him.

But, taking it from his training gallop on the morning of March 10, when he ran the 600m in a blistering 35.3sec, he should be ready for whatever his rivals throw at him.

The New Zealand-bred gets into the action on the back of a convincing last-start win in a similar Class 3 event (1,200m) on Feb 18.

Duma won that one by just ½ length from Kim Power – but he did it despite having encountered some mid-race “traffic problems”.

While it is his first run over 1,100m, he should be able to pull it off.

Anego and Cool Sixty-One were also out on the training track where they ran the 600m in 37.2sec and 39.4sec respectively. The going was good.

A four-year-old Australian-bred who has had four winless starts in Malaysia, the Lim Shung You-trained Anego knows how to get there ahead of the rest.

Back in Australia, where she raced as I’lltellyougo, Anego won seven races – from 950m to 1,250m – and finished second on three occasions from 15 starts in the eastern states.

So, accord the Wanted mare some respect on March 15.

Cool Sixty-One will be shooting to make it three wins in a row for trainer Jason Lim.

A ghostly grey seven-year-old, he gets into the action on the back of a race-to-race double in Class 4 contests, which earned him promotion to Class 3.

Right now, the rise in class looks to be the only stumbling block in his path. But the son of Vespa – who will carry 53.5kg – does get a pull in weights on Anego (57kg) and Duma (58.5kg) and that may even out the scales.

Elsewhere on the card, there were also good work from Ocean Jupiter and Luen On Feelings.

Set to eyeball each other in the Class 4A sprint (1,400m), they tore up the training track.

Ocean Jupiter clocked 35.5sec after some trotting, and Luen On Feelings also trotted before being sent out for a 600m gallop in 37.6sec.

Prepared by Ananthen Kuppan, Ocean Jupiter is another one looking to make it two on the trot. That, after winning his last start with loads of authority.

That day, on Feb 15, he made light work of the 58kg that he had to carry over 1,500m.

Ridden by Ruzaini Supien, the son of Ocean Park came from fourth at the furlong mark to win by 2¼ lengths.

That was in Class 5, which seems to be his comfort zone. But he has done well in Class 4 before.

Like in the Class 4A race (1,600m) on Nov 2, 2025, when he went down by just ¾ length to Banker’s Two Six.

Come March 15, he will carry only 52kg, and the five-year-old New Zealand-bred might just dust away his rivals.

As for Luen On Feelings, he came over from Macau where, under the care of trainer Geoff Allendorf, he won three races.

Now with former Macau-based trainer Ricky Choi Chun Wai at Sungai Besi, the son of Oratorio has posted two wins.

However, his last win was more than a year ago – on Jan 12, 2025 – when he beat Rambo by 3½ lengths in a Class 4A race (1,600m).

Luen On Feelings’ recent runs would have done little to inspire confidence, but the five-year-old gelding’s work leading into that next race tells us that he is getting back to his best.

brian@sph.com.sg