Tactical speed key to Singapore Pools Trophy
Yes Man, Pacific Vampire head pace profile in Sup A (1,200m), but will not lead at all costs
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Trainer Jason Ong hopes to relive Pacific Vampire’s (seen here with 2024 Singapore champion jockey Bruno Queiroz up) old Kranji glory days. The noted front runner contests the Singapore Pools Trophy (1,200m) at Sungai Besi on Dec 7.
ST FILE PHOTO
Michael Lee
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With 11 ultra-competitive races on show, there will be no shortage of excitement at the Piala Emas Sultan Selangor meeting at Kuala Lumpur on Dec 7.
But, before the Group 1 2,000m classic gets underway as Race 9 at 4.20pm, perhaps no other race on the undercard will get the adrenaline pumping more than the Singapore Pools Trophy.
It is the second year running that the Selangor Turf Club names a race in honour of the Singapore tote company in conjunction with the Piala Emas Sultan Selangor, with Chinese Tea taking out the inaugural edition in 2024.
This year, the RM80,000 (S$25,000) Class Supreme A race over 1,200m was selected as the supporting act to help cement further the cross-border ties and friendship between the two outfits off the track.
No such cordialities on the track, where 12 speedballs will go more like the Dirty Dozen giving each other no mercy.
At least four or five of them will go like the clappers, but any cut-throat battle can only see even the most fleet-footed of customers fall into a heap.
The last horse standing is usually the one with tactical speed – a quality that connections of two of the leading chances, Pacific Vampire and Yes Man, hope their charges are blessed with.
In Pacific Vampire’s case, time has told trainer Jason Ong that the eight-time winner is at his best when he is on a tear at the head of the queue.
The two-time Singapore champion trainer and all-but-crowned Malaysian champion trainer in his first season has tried to chop and change his running style, even tweaking with his headgear to get the desired result – but to no avail.
Ong is not giving up on tinkering, though – not just with the gears, but also with the one sitting atop the Impending six-year-old.
“Pacific Vampire is a difficult horse to train. He’s a real charging horse, but I’ve always wanted him to stay the last 100-200m better,” he said.
“The only option is to lead and sprint, which is not ideal as it makes him less versatile. We put the blinkers on at his last start, hoping he’d stay longer, but he felt a little bit nervy and was not as relaxed.
“I take them off this time but that’s not the only change. I spoke with the owners and I told them why not try a different jockey.
“Don’t get me wrong, there was nothing wrong with the way Jerlyn (Seow) rode Pacific Vampire. She’s done a great job with him.
“But as horses get older, sometimes they need a bit of change to spark them up. Andre da Silva rode a few for me and can make a horse relax, hopefully he can nurse him a little bit more and not allow him to overrace.”
Likewise, jockey Shafiq Rizuan is loath to see Yes Man’s natural speed cause his own downfall.
The Malaysian has teamed up five times on the Tiang Kim Choi-trained speedster for three of his seven wins, including the last two, both in Sungai Besi, in a Class 3 (1,020m) and Class 2 (1,200m) – all in the same leading register.
Yet, he believes the Yes Yes Yes four-year-old has the tactical speed to take a sit if the race maps that way, especially as he has drawn a sticky gate in 11.
“There are two to three horses like Arigato and Pacific Vampire, who have drawn inside us and have nice good speed,” said Shafiq.
“I won’t try and beat them for speed as I know they won’t let me in easily. It’s okay as my horse is improving and getting stronger, so it doesn’t matter if someone else is quicker, so long as we are not caught wide and we get cover.
“I think Arigato is the horse to beat – he’s very well. Fright, with a light weight, is also a danger.”
One horse who will probably fly under the radar is Ong’s second runner Man Man Lai, the previously exciting four-year-old who once won six in a row at Kranji when known as Street Of Dreams.
After a creditable short stint in Victoria where he did not score in three starts, albeit not beaten far, the Dundeel seven-year-old will be in his second Malaysian start following a debut seventh to Yes Man on Nov 23.
Ong for one will not leave Joe Singh’s galloper out of his sight.
“He raced quite well in Australia, but Joe wanted to see him race closer to home, and sent him to me around three months ago,” said Ong.
“We spent some time to get him used to KL, but I was pretty happy with his first run. He had blinkers on, but I don’t think he needs them.
“With his wind op history, we have to manage him, but he’s doing well and progressing well. He’s drawn wide (12), so he’ll take a sit with Jerlyn, and hopefully, he can run an improved race.”
