Well-timed Fight gives young Kaidan Brewer first Group 1 success

Jockey Kaidan Brewer made his one and only ride count when Guru Fight landed the spoils in the RM200,000 (S$65,000) Group 1 Meru Valley Resort Perak Derby (2,000m) in Ipoh on March 22.

Trained by Simon Dunderdale – whose one other runner Galaxy Grey ($8) also saluted earlier under Shafiq Rizuan in the Open Maiden contest (1,200m) in Race 3 – Guru Fight had spectators on the edge of their seats before he held on for a neck-victory over the fast-finishing Winning Stride.

A four-year-old son of Kermadec – same sire as Singapore’s former champion galloper Lim’s Kosciuszko – Guru Fight has previously raced in lesser Class 4 and 5 races, but he has never been out of the top three in his last 11 starts, including four victories over 1,600m to 1,800m.

Unlike previous starts when the Maximus Racing Stable-owned galloper tended to settle in midfield or at the back because of his slow getaways, the $38 shot jumped cleanly in the field of nine this time under regular partner Brewer, and sat on the outside of leader Gum Khor (Jordan Mallyon) in second.

Man Of Action (Nik Shahronnizam) and favourite Banker’s Two Six (Farhan Ghazali), who is gunning for four in a row, followed in third and fourth respectively.

Halfway up the back straight, the Kevin Coetzee-trained Winning Stride (Ruzaini Supien) crept up on the inside of Banker’s Two Six, forcing the Johnny Lim Boon Thong-trained galloper to course out three-wide.

Shortly after turning for home, Guru Fight found himself in front after Gum Khor shortened his strides at the 400m.

But, Brewer and Guru Fight’s first Group 1 success was not going to be served on a silver platter.

It took a while for Winning Stride and Banker’s Two Six to wind up, but they hit top gear at the 150m and began breathing down the leader’s neck.

But Brewer knew Guru Fight inside out, having been on board his four wins previously.

The South African hoop threw everything bar the kitchen sink for Guru Fight to fend off Winning Stride on the line.

Gum Khor lost no mark when he finished another half a length away in third.

The winning time was 2min 1.83sec for the 2,000m on the long course.

Brewer, who made his riding debut in 2020 in South Africa and won a few Group 3 races back home, was elated with his new milestone achievement.

“I’m ecstatic and grateful for my first Group 1 win. It’s always a dream come true for any jockeys when they win their first Group 1,” said the 23-year-old, who kicked off his Malaysian stint in September 2025.

“I have to say a big thanks to Simon as he is my main supporter since I came to ride in Malaysia and he has helped me a lot in my career here.

“I am licensed to ride till the end of the season, but I hope I can continue to ride here for longer.”

On Guru Fight, Brewer said the positive energy he had before the race helped.

“He was very relaxed today and quite lively in the parade ring,” he said.

“He pinged the gates and went forward. He travelled very well.

“He came up from Class 4 and this is his first run over the 2,000m, so one can never be too confident before the race, but he has never put a foot wrong so far.”

Dunderdale said the trip was ideal, and Guru Fight had been consistent in his runs, but was pleasantly surprised with the gelding’s on-pace run.

“We knew he was dying for this trip. He’s won over 1,800m (in a Class 4A event on Feb 6) before. We’ve been waiting for a race over this distance and 2,000m is perfect for him,” said the 2024 Malaysia champion trainer.

“His weight got raised from 51 to 54.5kg when there was no obvious top (-rated) horse, but still, he carried less weight than others.

“He’s never finished worse than second in his last six runs, and we thought it’s a good chance to test him against better horses in the Group 1 race. I thought he could run a place.

“He is usually tardy away, so we thought he would settle in mid-field, but Kaidan said he jumped so well and was very alert.

“Kaidan also has lots of experience riding in middle-distance and staying races back home in South Africa, so he rode him really well.

“He (Guru Fight) travelled so well in the straight, was two lengths clear of the rest and looked hard to catch.

“Eventually, we could look at the Piala Emas (Sultan Selangor) for him, but he’s four, so we’re looking at the RM1 million race (1,600m) now.”

Open to four-year-olds, the Selangor Mile at Sungai Besi on July 26 is the richest feature race on the Selangor Turf Club’s race calendar.

The Group 1 Piala Emas Sultan Selangor (2,000m) will also be held in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 6.

sharonzhang@sph.com.sg