Selvan’s winning trio gearing up strongly for a double dose

Ahead of his big team of 14 runners across the 12 races coming up at Sungai Besi on March 8, trainer Nick Selvan was a busy man on the morning of March 4.

From the bulk of racers he sent out for gallops over the 600m on a track rated soft, a trio came out like they had a sense of purpose.

Being all last-start winners, Prince Lonhro, Rhythm Of Zen and Astro Nascente would have one common mission to accomplish – to make it two on the trot.

Never asked to do more than necessary, Prince Lonhro worked over the 600m in an easy 43.6sec while Astro Nascente worked with stablemate Aurish Star, running the 600m in 39.1sec with Astro Nascente going the better at the finish.

As for Rhythm Of Zen, he had Ruzaini Supien in the saddle when running out the trip in a swift 37.5sec.

For any trainer to saddle a horse to back-to-back wins is not always easy, let alone for three of them.

But when going through their current form and recent trackwork gallops, Selvan may well pull it off.

Prince Lonhro for one will be in his comfort zone in Race 2 which will be run over the 1,275m.

That is the same trip the Lonhro six-year-old won over on Feb 22 when, ridden by Uzair Sharudin, he came off fourth spot at the furlong marker to fight and eventually beat Boomba by a neck.

Owned by the Legacy Power Racing Stable, Astro Nascente had a short career in Victoria, Australia where he won a 1,300m race at Wangaratta when known as Needtobeseen.

Since his Malaysian debut on May 15, 2025, it has taken the New Zealand-bred son of Time Test seven starts over three months to finally be seen in the winner’s enclosure at his new hunting ground when he dismantled his opposition to win a Class 4 (A) race over the mile on Feb 18.

Selvan is not changing a winning formula as he has entered Astro Nascente in a race over the same trip in Race 10.

At four years of age, Astro Nascente has not shown the best of him as yet, but that first taste of success may well have whetted his appetite for more.

Like Astro Nascente, Rhythm Of Zen is another New Zealand-bred by Time Test.

But unlike his stablemate, he already has four wins to show and, after that last-start success on Feb 18, he looks good for a fifth.

While Rhythm Of Zen has to take on the likes of Pacific Warlord – who also had a cracking workout when running the 600m in 37.8sec – in the Class 4 (B) sprint (1,020m), the pull in the weights might just work to his advantage.

Also drawing attention from the training track were the runs put in by another Selvan-trained runner, Big Max and the Mahadi Taib-trained Sheng Zhe.

While Big Max finished second at his last start and cannot be shooting for two in a row, he will still have a big say in the proceedings on March 8 when he is down to contest Race 2, a Class 5A over 1,275m.

The five-year-old by Charm Spirit worked like a good horse when covering the 600m in 37.2sec.

With a recent record showing two seconds and a third from his last four starts, Big Max is overdue for the kind of luck that saw him break his duck right at his Malaysian debut. Winless in 18 starts at Kranji, he scored at his first two starts up north, but the barren run has again set in since.

He gets into the action with a light load of 52kg and, while he must take on stablemate Prince Lonhro, the weight advantage could and just might tip the scales in his favour.

As for Sheng Zhe, he worked well, clocking an easy 41.7sec for the 600m.

Yet to break through for a win, the Belardo five-year-old will be having his 10th start in Malaysia and it comes on the back of a neck second to Banker’s Empire in a 1,500m race on Feb 8.

Sheng Zhe, who likes to finish off his races, will appreciate the slightly longer 1,600m trip in that 11th race on March 8.

With a bit of luck, he could be the one roaring home over the final furlong.

brian@sph.com.sg