Gray's Hugo wins trial in fast time

Just three trials. Some will say it was Tuesday morning better spent elsewhere.

Whoa. Hold your horses. Sure, the three trials came and went in under an hour.

But sometimes good things come in small packages and Tuesday morning's hit-outs were not a waste of time.

Indeed, two talking points came out of the trials.

One was Hugo's slashing win in the second of the morning. The other highlight had to be the sighting of Ronnie Stewart at Kranji.

More about that later. For now, let us talk about Hugo.

Sent out against seven others, he eventually ticked all the boxes.

With Marc Lerner in the hot seat, Hugo cleared the chute in good fashion. That must have been a relief for the Stephen Gray camp as, three starts ago, Hugo was slowly away. It cost him the race.

That day, some seven months ago, he quickly made up ground and, although charging home like a freight train, he could not catch Watch Out Boss, who romped home a clear winner.

At Hugo's last start, he jumped with the rest but was snagged back and stayed there. He eventually beat just one home.

Well, at the trials, Hugo looked and galloped like a different horse. Lerner parked him in third spot as they negotiated that turn.

Given rein, he was second at the 600m as Louis-Philippe Beuzelin, on Celavi, showed the way.

A furlong out, Lerner got to work and Hugo let fly.

He drew alongside Celavi and Makkem Lad (apprentice jockey Yusoff Fadzli). From then on, it was a dash to the line.

Lerner, riding with all the vigour we have become accustomed to seeing from the Frenchman, won that battle of the bobs - of heads, that is - and took the trial by a neck.

Makkem Lad stayed on for second, a nose ahead of Celavi. Hugo clocked a smart 59.26sec for the 1,000m.

Although narrowly beaten, Makkem Lad was not disgraced. He has been entered for the main event on Saturday, the $100,000 sprint for Class 1 horses, and must be given a chance - even against the likes of Kharisma.

So far, Donna Logan will say that Makkem Lad has been a good one to have in the stable.

He has consistently brought home the money and his earnings from eight wins, seven seconds and a third are nearing the $500,000 mark.

Now for that second "highlight" of the morning.

It has been about five years since Stewart had ridden in Singapore and he has been granted a jockey's licence for the rest of the season.

The 38-year-old Australian is eager to get legged up in a proper race. That may come sooner rather than later. But, for now, Stewart must have been happy to get a mount in the trials.

He was astride Born To Win in the third and last trial of the morning. Both horse and rider would have had a good stretch out.

Stewart jumped with the pack but quickly settled his mount away from the hustle and bustle up front.

Indeed, Born To Win had just one behind him at the 600m mark, but gradually made up ground.

Into the stretch and racing widest, Stewart got to work.

There was no economy of effort and, like a good horse, Born To Win responded.

He gobbled up the ground in front of him and took second spot behind Silent Partner, who won without having to use up much petrol.

Born To Win is a last-start winner looking to make it two in a row, while Stewart is hoping to be first-time lucky at his comeback ride. We wish them both all the best.

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Tuesday's Kranji barrier trial results

TRIAL 1

1 Surrey Hills (O Chavez)

2 Outfit (M Kellady)

3 Kranji Jewel (M Lerner)

4 Kinabalu Star (Y Salim)

Margins and time: 9 1/2, 61/2, 3 1/4 (1min 01.01 sec)

1 Hugo (Lerner)

2 Makkem Lad (F Yusoff)

3 Celavi (L Beuzelin)

4 Relentless (M Nunes)

5 Ima (Chavez)

6 Special King (S John)

7 King Louis (J Bayliss)

8 Dimesso (Salim)

Margins and time: Nk, ns, 3 1/4, 21/2, 1 1/4, 2 1/4, 241/2 (59.26 sec)

1 Silent Partner (Yusoff)

2 Born To Win (R Stewart)

3 Heng Xing (John)

4 Anyway (I Saifudin)

5 Our Pinnacle (Lerner)

6 Roman Classic (K A'Isisuhairi)

Margins and time: 3, 4, 1 1/2, 11/2, 1 (1:01.78)