Getting up to Southern Speed
Kuala Lumpur racing fans are in for 13 races, including three features - the Four-Year-Old Sprint Championship, the Charity Cup and the Korea Racing Authority Trophy.
If anything, the programme on offer says it is worth the trek to the Selangor Turf Club in Sungai Besi on June 15.
A pity if you cannot make it as there are several exciting races on the card.
And, as a sort of preview, some of the runners with assignments on the undercard were out strutting their stuff on the training track on the morning of June 11.
Impressive among them were the quartet of Southern Speed, Lim's Fuji, Written Towin and Pacific Snoopy.
All came away with flying colours.
Especially Southern Speed.
Entered in Race 3, the Richard Lim-trained-and-owned galloper worked like a winner, clocking a smart time of 38.8sec for the 600m trip.
That workout told us that he is holding that last-start winning form.
Flashback to June 1 and Southern Speed put up a dogged front-running show, leading from the get-go to hold off Healthy Baby. He took the race by the narrowest of margins - a nose.
It was his fourth win and his first at his new home up north.
Although already a seven-year-old, this son of I Am Invincible still manages to reinvent himself as a lion when on a racetrack.
Yes, he looks good for back-to-back wins and, with winning jockey Troy See retaining the ride, Southern Speed looks like a good one to get the ball rolling early on June 15.
Although Lim's Fuji was not out to get into any record books, he tossed in a good workout when clocking 41.2sec for the 600m.
A one-time winner at Kranji when under the tutelage of Daniel Meagher, the Foxwedge six-year-old is still looking to break through for a first Malaysian victory.
Now with Lawson Moy, he has a second-place finish to his name.
That was in a race on March 9 when he went down by three parts of a length to Red Sun.
His form then seemed to take a dip but his connections would have been pleased with his last-start effort when third to Pacific Sonic over the 1,200m.
Moy has entered him for a 1,700m race on June 15. It will be his first attempt over the trip but given the fact that he likes to come off the pace in his races, the longer trip might be just what he wants.
So hang around for Race 13. It might be worth your while.
Earlier on June 15, in the 11th event on the day, mark down Pacific Snoopy as a mare to follow.
She worked up a storm on the training track, clocking a swift 37.5sec for the 600m.
From trainer David Kok's yard, the Hellbent five-year-old showed a return to form when running third to Paletas at her last start on May 25.
Ridden by Oscar Chavez, she did not have any luck in the running and was obliged to race wide for most of the 1,150m trip.
A Malaysian winner over the 1,020m on March 1, she has to negotiate the 1,400m on June 15, which should not pose any problems as she has won over the trip.
That was at Kranji on Jan 20, 2024 when ridden by Vlad Duric, she came off fourth spot at the top of the Kranji straight to beat Ocean Jupiter by half a length.
She is looking for her third career win and with star jockey Wong Chin Chuen flying in from his Seoul base for the ride, she will have loads of pals on and off course.
On current form, both horse and rider could - by the end of the day's racing - seal those friendships.
Then, and also from the training track, there was that 39.2sec run turned in by Written Towin.
From the stables of Nick Selvan, the son of Written By will trot to the start in Race 5.
It is another one of those sharp sprints over 1,100m and, going on his previous showings - especially when racing at Kranji - the trip should be right up his alley.
Now a four-year-old, Written Towin has been getting close to breaking through for his second success and his first Malaysian victory.
So far, and although he has tossed in a second-place finish and three fourth-placed efforts, the win has been elusive - not quite a reflection of his name.
To his credit, Written Towin won a trial on May 20.
That was over the 1,000m.
His last start on May 25, when he finished a well-beaten sixth to Surrey Hills, was over the 1,200m.
Selvan will be hoping the drop back in trip to the 1,100m will bring out the best in the sprinter.
brian@sph.com.sg
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