Strong Dragon in hot form

Come Race 5 in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 7, keep an eye on Strong Dragon.

Bottomweight in that Class 3 sprint over the 1,200m, he was sent to the trials on Dec 2 and proved to be as strong as they come.

Ridden by his race jockey Khaw Choon Kit and having to clear the outermost gate in the last trial of the morning, he sat second at the top of the straight and powered home under pressure from Mega Crusader (Wong Kam Chong) to score by a neck.

Like two other trial winners on the day, Strong Dragon did not break the minute-mark for the 1,000m on grass, clocking 1min 0.46sec.

But it was a fighting victory with the effort especially noteworthy in the way he batted on over the final 100m.

Strong Dragon had come into the trial on the back of a smart win in a Class 4 race over the 1,300m on Sept 21.

But that was some time ago and to have held that form for 72 days was mighty commendable.

Trainer Ooi Chin Chin will be looking for a good showing from the Vanbrugh three-year-old who has, to date, been one of his stable stars.

Following a winning debut for Ooi on June 15, he ran second to Show All Sixty-One on July 12.

After a winning trial on Aug 26, Strong Dragon put on a solid show when beating a Class 4B field over the 1,300m on Sept 21.

Right now it is too early to say just how good he is.

But his results tell us that his owners, the Strong Stable, have a mighty good racer in the barn and come Dec 7, he could justify his promotion to Class 3.

Although Mega Crusader had to be content with second place, he will benefit from that hit-out and could be a force to reckon with in Race 3, the 1,200m sprint which is set aside for three-year-olds on Dec 7.

The New Zealand-bred – who is a full brother to Malaysian star Antipodean – showed that he possessed good early speed when he led the field right until close home when challenged by Strong Dragon.

Even then, he stayed on well, only to be beaten by a neck.

From Richard Lines’ yard, Mega Crusader has, to date, placed second and third in his two races on Malaysian turf.

Both times he led the pack early only to be mowed down in the shades of the winning post.

This weekend, he will again give his rivals something to chase and Lines will be hoping he gets home ahead of them all.

Once again at the trials, the “bankers” were out in force, making deposits for the next time they hit the race tracks.

In the first trial, Banker’s Emperor (Nuqman Rozi), Banker’s Victory (Khaw) and Banker’s Empress (Farhan Ghazali) turned up for trainer Johnny Lim Boon Thong.

Unfortunately, all three were beaten by the Ananthen Kuppan-trained Platinum Royale, who came home with a powerful finish to beat them all.

Platinum Royale, who will contest Race 4, the Royal Sabah Turf Club Trophy (1,200m) on Dec 7, clocked the fastest time of the morning when running the 1,000m in 59.68sec.

Banker’s Emperor took second, a neck behind the winner and a short head in front of stablemate, Banker’s Victory.

Banker’s Empress had to settle for sixth, some four lengths behind the winner.

However, Lim’s trust in his bankers was restored in Trial 2 when Banker’s Glory and Banker’s Baby left their rivals stranded.

A four-year-old Australian-bred, Banker’s Glory (Nuqman) was making his first appearance on the racetrack at Sungai Besi and he would certainly have found many fans.

Unsighted for most of the trip, he came into the reckoning at the furlong marker to run down Banker’s Baby (Farhan) by a length.

He clocked 1min 0.38sec. The duo left third-placed Thunder Lotus (Andre da Silva) four lengths adrift.

Banker’s Baby, who raced as Velvet Fox in South Australia, won a sprint at Oakbank on May 7.

Watch the four-year-old Foxwedge mare when she lines up for her Malaysian debut. She could make it real exciting.

brian@sph.com.sg