08-07-2025
Keep highly rated trio in Metro A on the radar
It could pay to put your attention on three highly rated gallopers, Circuit Mission, Platinum Emperor and Cheval Blanc, at the Sungai Besi meeting on July 12.
They are "ranked" the top three - in order of their ratings - in the handicaps of the main race coming up at the Selangor Turf Club. Three days from now, we could see them fighting out the finish in that Metro A sprint (1,400m).
Circuit Mission is now sitting on 99 points. Platinum Emperor is at 98 while Cheval Blanc is - on 93 rating points - not too far behind.
But being rated in the 90s is not the only thing they have in common.
On the morning of July 8, all three were out on the training track and they have impressed all who were taking in the action.
Taking it from the top, we have Circuit Mission running the 600m in a fluent 38.9sec.
Platinum Emperor went a tick faster, clocking 38.3sec while Cheval Blanc stopped the clock at 38.7sec.
Trained by Frank Maynard, Circuit Mission used to be with Lee Freedman, Cliff Brown and then James Peters at Kranji. Between Singapore and Malaysia, he has won eight races - on the Kranji, Penang and Kuala Lumpur tracks.
Even before the son of High Chaparral kick-started his career in Asia, he won twice in the UK when trained by Hugo Palmer.
Now, at 10, Circuit Mission showed he can still bring theatre to the game and is not about ready to be put out to pasture.
The Irish-bred's last victory might have come almost a year ago in the Group 1 Penang Sprint Trophy (1,400m) on July 28, 2024, and his subsequent three runs were nothing to shout about, but he showed improvement at his last start.
Ridden by Akmazani Mazuki in the Supreme A event (1,200m) on June 29, Circuit Mission would not have threatened the top three in any way, but he still made ground in the final 100m to finish fifth.
Being the bread-and-butter galloper that he is, he will give his best on July 12.
And, on the strength of his most recent training gallop, he could puncture a few egos.
As for Platinum Emperor, he comes into the picture after a break of more than 100 days and had an easy spin under jockey Marc Lerner in a barrier trial on June 17.
The Ricky Choi-trained galloper was second-up at his last run in the Group 1 Tunku Gold Cup (1,200m) on March 16.
That day, under Nuqman Rozi, the Sweynesse five-year-old turned in a decent show, running third behind winner Noah Khan and runner-up, Antipodean.
That came a month after Platinum Emperor had smacked his rivals in the Wilayah Silver Bowl Trophy (1,200m) on Feb 2 and won at his first race in Malaysia.
Choi has been patient with the eight-time winner from Macau, who is likely to garner interest third-up.
Then, from the training track, there was Cheval Blanc.
The second of Maynard's pair entered for the sprint on July 12, Cheval Blanc is - like Circuit Mission - a 10-year-old Irish-bred.
The son of Red Jazz has faced the starter five times this season. The last occasion was on June 29 and, in a muddling sort of race, Cheval Blanc took fourth.
After the run in the Supreme A contest (1,200m), jockey Wong Kam Chong explained to the stewards that he was inconvenienced when his reins were briefly entangled over the neck of Cheval Blanc.
There were no such problems during his romp under the morning sun and Maynard would have been pleased with the work put in by his old stager.
Outside of that Metro A race, there was good work from Valerie Pegasus.
Down to contest the Class 5A event over the short and sharp 1,020m, the five-year-old galloper tossed in a winning workout when running the 600m in 40sec.
It was a solid show and very worthy of a line or two in that black book of "horses to follow".
Prepared by Nick Selvan, whose last winner was Latin Legend in the Supreme B (1,600m) race on July 6, Valerie Pegasus has been winless in his next five starts after March 1, when he led from barrier to box in the Class 5A race (1,150m) at Sungai Besi.
At his last start on June 15, Valerie Pegasus was outpaced in a Class 5A race (1,275m) before finishing seventh to Lightning Gal.
The drop in distance could be what he is looking for and, on the back of that honest workout, his Malaysian handler could be looking at a good showing from this son of Shamexpress.
brian@
