Ong's first and last stab at Penang races

New Paper

3 days ago

Jason Ong will have his first runners in Penang on May 31, but they will also be his last.
That new milestone for the two-time Singapore champion trainer begins and ends so quickly, simply because the Penang Turf Club will be staging its last meeting in 162 years of existence on that day.
Low turnover and attendances have forced the second of the original four Malayan Racing Association clubs to close doors after the Singapore Turf Club on Oct 5.
Ong, who has never set foot at the Batu Gantong track but did visit Penang as the typical Singaporean tourist in search of its famous street food, said he could not possibly let this last chance of saddling a runner there go begging.
"I've been to Penang but not its races. It'll be nice to be there," said Ong. "There's nothing to celebrate, obviously, but I can now say I had a runner there before it closes."
After relocating to Kuala Lumpur in November, the 37-year-old handler has not taken long to bring his Singapore dominance up north.
With his powerful Kranji squad more or less moving wholesale, his haul of two to three winners a week have already become part of the Sungai Besi landscape.
Ong is already well clear at the top on 41 wins, including two at his only Ipoh visit on March 30.
Penang was always on his radar, but opportunities were rare, with only one meeting (March 8) held after so many cancellations.
The end was nigh and, when the club announced it was curtains, Ong circled its final day in red.
Of particular interest is the highlight, the RM250,000 (S$76,000) Penang Turf Club Farewell Trophy, which, unlike the Grand Singapore Gold Cup (2,000m) deliberately run as Singapore's very last race, is slated as the penultimate event on the seven-race programme.
The 1,300m trip of the Special Rapid Stakes A made Ong wince, but he would still press on with his first choice - Pacific Vampire.
Ironically, the noted speedster also ran in the Singapore Gold Cup but was a spent force 500m out before floundering to last place.
While Ong would have preferred 1,200m, he is convinced the Impending five-year-old will not raise the white flag so early this time.
"Vampire is the best horse in my barn. He was my logical choice for the race," he said. "The 1,300m is a question mark as all his wins (four in Kranji and two in Kuala Lumpur) have not been beyond 1,200m, but he has matured a lot here.
"He needed two or three runs to get right, but we saw how he relaxed better in his last two wins.
"I think he can see out the 1,300m, but of course, we don't know how he'll handle the travelling and the different track.
"Penang doesn't look much different from KL. He'll be right."
Pacific Vampire jumps from the inside alley with Jerlyn Seow up.
If he and three stablemates come up short, Ong has one last bullet in the actual Penang swansong.
Pacific Padrino, who is also first emergency in the Farewell Trophy, is in the last race, another Special Rapid Stakes A over 1,300m.
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