Cool Sixty-One not ready to be dismissed
Banker’s Pretty, Shimi Go and Gold Medal Rose to fight out 1,100m main race
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Cool Sixty-One (Benny Woodworth) hanging on to score in a Class 3 event (1,300m) at Sungai Besi on July 5.
PHOTO: SLTC
Brian Miller
It is going to take a really good galloper to run down Cool Sixty-One in that Class 3 race (1,300m) at the Selangor Turf Club on Aug 22.
The eight-year-old veteran turned in a super efficient gallop on the morning of Aug 18 when clocking 38.4sec for the 600m.
On a track rated “good”, he had his regular partner, Oscar Chavez, doing the steering.
A winner in a similar event over 1,300m on July 5, Cool Sixty-One goes over the same track and trip at his next outing.
Prepared by trainer Jason Lim, the ghostly grey galloper will be having his 51st start since relocating from New Zealand in 2022.
While the son of Vespa is getting on in years, he is still racing with great heart.
His race record shows that he has, in this 2026 season, notched up three wins going back to Jan 24 when he won a Class 4B contest (1,200m) with Chavez on board.
The last time his connections sent him out to race was on July 19, and they were looking for back-to-back wins from their money spinner.
It was not to be. Cool Sixty-One encountered “traffic problems” upon entering the straight and was eventually beaten half a length by Yes Boss Yes.
But Lim has not left any stone unturned in getting his runner tight and taut for the assignment coming up.
The Singaporean handler has just saddled a winner with Legend Sixty-Three at the just-concluded meeting on Aug 16, taking his tally of wins this season to nine.
Lim will be looking for more success, and Cool Sixty-One can put in a big run.
The main race of the day – the Class 2 sprint (1,100m) – could be a three-way contest between Banker’s Pretty, Shimi Go and bottomweight Gold Medal Rose.
Residing in different yards and, therefore, sent out in separate gallops, the trio impressed.
From trainer Johnny Lim Boon Thong’s barn of “Bankers”, Banker’s Pretty ran out the 600m in a neat 37.8sec.
The Lim Shung You-trained Shimi Go had it easy and was not extended to cover the same trip in 38.4sec. That was after a spot of cantering.
Then there was Gold Medal Rose. The mare was trotted briskly before turning on the charm to run the 600m in 38.4sec.
Trained by Ooi Chin Chin, the five-year-old daughter of Wrote showed she was in form with that gallop.
The stocky mare usually tips the scales in the 500kg region, but Gold Medal Rose is rather underrated.
The New Zealand-bred has won six races in Malaysia and she very nearly made it seven at her last start in a Class 3 contest (1,020m) on Aug 9.
Although she was sent out as the rank outsider in that field of 10, she ran an encouraging third behind Triumph Banker’s.
Come race day, Ooi will have her humming and with the feather weight of 52kg, Gold Medal Rose must be given a big chance at landing another win.
Banker’s Pretty was a winner in a Class 2 race (1,200m) on July 19, and finished third at her last outing in a Class 2 event (1,300m) on Aug 9.
The Starspangledbanner six-year-old is definitely in a rich vein of form and, rightfully so, she will have a load of fans cheering her on in her upcoming assignment.
She could send them home happy.
As for the eight-year-old Shimi Go, he steps into the contest as a last-start winner. His connections will be looking for a sixth win from their trusty sprinter.
The son of Burgundy enjoys racing over the short and sharp 1,100m, and if allowed to dictate things from the front, he could lead his rivals on a merry chase.
