Fortune Tree to harvest more wins
Banker’s Stable sweeps the board with first four from as many runners in second trial
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Fortune Tree (Shafiq Rizuan) taking out the first barrier trial at Sungai Besi on March 10.
PHOTO: SELANGOR TURF CLUB
Brian Miller
Few would have expected anything less than a win from Fortune Tree when he lined up for the first trial of the morning at Sungai Besi on March 10.
Not only did he duly oblige, but he also came through in a smart time of 59.52sec – which proved to be the fastest of the four trials run off on a grass track which was rated good.
With eyes locked on three horses from the Banker’s Stable, Fortune Tree (Shafiq Rizuan) jumped cleanly from an outside gate and even before the six runners made that first turn on the far side, he had positioned himself alongside Banker’ssweetheart (Joe Kamaruddin).
Into the home stretch, he clicked up a gear and said goodbye to Banker’ssweetheart, scoring by 1½ lengths. Always A Gentleman (Fikri Ismail) rattled home to take third, another 1½ lengths away.
To date, Fortune Tree has been a really good horse to have in the yard for jockey-turned-trainer Richard Lim.
Since coming over from Australia where the Adrossan four-year-old won once from five starts when known as Jazzclub, Fortune Tree has been a model of consistency.
Lim has sent his charge to the races just nine times and on four of those occasions, he beat them all.
Only once from nine races has Fortune Tree been off the board. Then too, he was not too far from the placegetters.
While he has not been mentioned in the same breath as stars like Pacific Vampire and Antipodean, he is getting there.
The second trial was all about trainer Johnny Lim Boon Thong and the Banker’s Stable. Of the five runners, four were theirs with the odd one out being Joseph Leck’s Superpower.
There was to be no gatecrasher to the party. The Banker’s Stable took the top four spots.
Out in front in a flash, Banker’s Sweetie (Farhan Ghazali) dictated terms until Banker’s Happy (Kamaruddin) threw out a determined challenge at the 100m.
The stablemates were involved in a heads-up, heads-down battle to the line where Banker’s Sweetie, a four-year-old mare by Yes Yes Yes, found that little extra at just the right moment to get the verdict by a mere short head. She did it in a time of 59.84sec.
Banker’s Lady (Nuqman Rozi) stayed on to fill the minor placing.
The third trial saw Lucky Eight One score by a length for trainer Winson Cheng Han Yong.
The six-year-old by Spieth was a three-time winner in Australia when known as Call Me Louis before relocating to Hong Kong where he drew a blank as Gor Mo Tuen.
Delilah (Jackson Low Kang Cheng) took the fourth trial in a time of 1:00.47, beating Iron Ruler by a head with Richard Mule dropping in for third.
The six-year-old Zacinto mare from Nick Selvan’s yard is down to see action in the opening event on March 15.
The barrier trials then moved to the sand track where Stop The Water (Jose de Souza) won in a time of 1:01.82. The 105-point rater Pacific Vampire (Uzair Sharudin) cruised in for second.
It was then left to Mahadi Taib’s Eternal Fortune (Aify Yahaya) to close the action and he did it in style, winning by seven lengths.
Mega Valor, who will trot out in Race 9 on March 15, took second under Benny Woodworth. He deserves a second glance in what will be his fifth start for trainer David Kok.
