So Cute is not one to be trifled with

After bagging three winners with Fortune Tree, Ye Man and Swift Victory at the just-concluded meeting at Sungai Besi on Oct 25, there looks to be more coming for trainer Cheng Han Yong.

The young Malaysian handler’s yard will be represented by a team of 11 for the Selangor races on Nov 1. The bulk of them looked good when, on the morning of Oct 27, Cheng sent them out for work on the training track.

So Cute – ridden by Shafiq Rizuan – looked smart and sharp when running the 600m in 37.5sec.

Shafiq, who has been riding a fair bit for Cheng, also worked stablemate Storm Chaser who did it easy when clocking 37.8sec for the same trip.

Then there was Cheng’s King Odds. A first reserve in one of two Class 3 sprint over 1,200m, he impressed in a 36.6sec gallop.

An all-the-way winner in a Open Maiden race (1,200m) on Aug 2, King Odds did not have a smooth passage at his last start in a Class 3 event (1,300m) on Aug 20 and eventually finished sixth in that race won by Cool Sixty-One.

The Bivouac four-year-old gelding is better than that and, should he get a spot in the starting gates on Nov 1, he could be the one the rest might have to chase down.

So Cute has yet to post a win for the Happy Baby Stable in two starts, but he is getting there.

The son of Extreme Choice, who won thrice from 10 starts in Australia when known as Nostringsattached, seems to be coming along nicely.

His last-start fifth to Duma in the Class 2 Horse City Trophy (1,200m) on Sept 27 was full of merit.

Then ridden by Shafiq, the five-year-old gelding had the disadvantage of having to clear an outside barrier.

So Cute was therefore obliged to race wide for most of the journey. He eventually finished three lengths behind the winner.

Cheng would have been pleased with his latest workout and the Happy Baby Stable will be hoping his third start will be a winning one.

Storm Chaser is another one with winning credentials. He meets a strong field in the other Class 3 sprint (1,200m).

But the son of Divine Prophet seems up to the task. In his six starts in Malaysia, Storm Chaser has proven to be a tough adversary.

A last-start winner, the six-year-old gelding owned by Genie Tan also has a second and a third placing – and he seems to be getting better as he goes along.

At his last outing on Aug 22, he had come into the race on the back of finishing ninth in a Class 3 race at his previous start, which was a 1,400m race and his condition fizzled out over the final furlong.

Dropped to Class 4 and sent over the 1,150m, Storm Chaser was all-conquering and led from pillar to post, beating Tommy Gun by 4¼ lengths.

He is now back in Class 3 and, although the race will be over a slightly longer trip than that last one, Storm Chaser does look fine-tuned for a winning show.

Away from the Class 2 and Class 3 races, the Class 5A sprint (1,150m) could belong to The Star.

Although lumped with the topweight of 59kg, he looks like the one they all have to beat.

Prepared by Simon Dunderdale, the eight-year-old veteran still showed good action on the training track.

Ridden by Wong Chin Chuen, he ran out the 600m in 38.2sec, finishing with quite a bit still in the tank.

Owned by the Buffalo Stable, the son of Hallowed Crown – who kick-started his racing career in Singapore back in April 2022 – still races like a frisky juvenile.

Take that last start in a Class 5A contest (1,020m) on Oct 17, he looked perfectly placed in fourth spot when the field neared the top of the home stretch.

But, just when Wong was about to fashion a run, The Star encountered “traffic problems” and Wong had to switch in to avoid getting jammed up.

The “inconvenience” meant he lost a couple of lengths and The Star eventually took second – narrowly beaten by Fa Fa Star.

Since that race, he has trained on splendidly and as he nears his 49th start, he could be looking at an eighth win on Nov 1.

brian@sph.com.sg