Latest news with #CosmoC
New Paper
20-07-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Rocket Boy returns to winning ways in Cosmo C race
IPOH - Rocket Boy, who was disappointing in his last run on June 8, bounced back to his best when he claimed his third win from five starts in the RM26,000 (S$7,800) Cosmo C race (1,400m) at Ipoh on July 19. Trained by Ismadi Ismail, the Capitalist four-year-old was settled in fourth spot by regular rider How Yang, while last-start winner Wilamara (Wong Kam Chong) sat on his outside. Not long after straightening, Rocket Boy ($18) took over the lead from pacemaker Black Thorn (Ganeesh Munusamy). Wilamara began motoring home steadily from the 200m to give Rocket Boy a run for his money, but the latter managed to stave off the challenge and score with a length to spare. Black Thorn finished another 2¼ lengths away in third. The winning time was 1min 24.09sec for the 1,400m on the long course. Assistant trainer Yan Weng Kuan said the longer break of six weeks was intended for Rocket Boy. "After his last run, we wanted to keep him fresh," he said. Taking a sit in the race has also reaped rewards for Yang, who has ridden the Lau Teik Kip-owned gelding in all his five starts in Ipoh. "As it was his first attempt over 1,400m, we decided to settle just off the pace and waited for the straight to make our bid," he said. Known as Worx in Australia, Rocket Boy has won twice over the 1,200m and 1,300m in 12 starts Down Under. Trained in Kuala Lumpur by Richard Lim, The Shadow ($18) has completed a hat-trick of wins on the Ipoh track in the RM20,000 Class 5A contest (1,400m). The Dissident eight-year-old won five races at Kranji, with his first three wins under Michael Clements and his last two under Lim. It was on May 11 when Lim first sent The Shadow to Ipoh and he finished fourth in a Class 5A race (1,400m). But it has been three wins on the trot - all over 1,400m - for him at Ipoh since. After bowling along in third, The Shadow (Harmeet Singh Gill) ranged alongside Discretely Red (Haikal Hanif) and D'Great Magic (Shazmin Sudin) at the 300m, and kicked clear to win by 2¾ lengths from Boss Nine Nine (Wong Kam Chong), who missed the start but still stormed home for second. Yet, three successive wins in Ipoh did not mean connections were looking at bigger races for him at Sungai Besi. "No, his owners (Team Cheval Stable) want him to run in Ipoh," said Lim. Ipoh trainer Khor Peng Hwa has landed his first treble in Malaysia - with Retallica ($17), Brotherly Love ($24) and Crazy Love ($14) - since his training career kicked off in late April. TURFONLINE
New Paper
16-06-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Pacific Victory, Man Of Action shine up north
KUALA LUMPUR The super-consistent Pacific Victory was rewarded with his first trophy success on June 15, when he beat a top-notch field in the RM200,000 (S$60,000) 4-Year-Old Sprint Championship (1,200m) at Sungai Besi. But a bigger prize could be in store for the Jason Ong-trained Rubick gelding when he lines up for the RM1 million Selangor Mile, a 1,600m race for four-year-olds, on July 20. "He is our stable favourite. I will see how he pulls up but he will be going for the Selangor Mile if all goes well. That is the target," said two-time Singapore champion trainer Ong who is already well clear on the Malaysian trainers' log on 50 winners. "He is a versatile sort and should take the mile as he has won over the distance. He is improving with every run. He was in better shape than in his previous start." Pacific Victory has indeed taken to his new surroundings in Kuala Lumpur like a duck to water, winning his debut in Class 3 last December and has since added five more victories and notched three seconds in 10 starts. Jerlyn Seow, who has ridden in all but one of Pacific Victory's starts in Malaysia, has now saluted seven times aboard the Pacific Stable ward, including one at Kranji when then prepared by Tan Kah Soon. The two other feature races at the bumper 13-race programme in Kuala Lumpur also highlighted two worthy winners. Ong was once more the happy recipient at the prize presentation after Filial Dragon (Wong Kam Chong, $47) earlier claimed the Korea Racing Authority Trophy, a Class 2 (1,020m) event. The third "Cup" race, the TNI Charity Cup, a Class 3 (1,600m) event, went to Richard Lines' Gulf Eagle (Andre da Silva, $32). A day earlier on June 14, the Perak Turf Club meeting saw seven races ironed out for decision, with the Kevin Coetzee-trained Man Of Action (Harmeet Singh Gill) arguably the winner with the most upside after he claimed the RM26,000 Cosmo C race (1,300m). Known at Kranji as Arya Pakuan, a winner of three races for Stephen Gray (one) and James Peters (two), the Sebring five-year-old had taken his Singapore form across the Causeway with two wins for his new Ipoh trainer Coetzee. He has, however, not been seen since his last-start win in a Cosmo C race (1,400m) on April 26. But he was as nimble as ever when he easily accounted for his five rivals under an inspired ride by Gill. Coetzee said that the long break was not by design, but it clearly bore no ill-effects. "I targeted him for the Penang Turf Club Farewell Trophy but there were too many horses ahead of him in the ratings. He was not even handicapped," said the South African handler. A Cosmo C race was programmed on June 8, but the 1,100m trip was deemed a touch too short for him. The wait by another week for a more suitable race proved to be right on the money. Backed down to solid $11 favouritism, Man Of Action was well held together by Gill, smothered up midfield in a bunched-up pack before he was let loose upon straightening. TURFONLINE
New Paper
08-06-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Sweet Love hands Khor 1st feature win in Ipoh
Ipoh trainer Khor Peng Hwa has won his first trophy in Malaysia after Sweet Love's tenacious win in the RM26,000 (S$7,900) Mitavite Asia Cup 2025 (1,100m) in Ipoh on June 8. For good measure, Khor also pulled off his first training double in Malaysia when Crazy Love ($21) scored in the penultimate Sage Hill Northwest Stake (1,200m). More popularly known as Ah Lek, the Malaysian handler - who received his trainer's licence only in April 2025 - opened his account when King Ravana saluted in Ipoh on May 24. One week later on May 31, Khor sent his first and only runner, Golden Peach, to the final meeting held at Penang Turf Club. Golden Peach finished last in a Class 4A race (1,400m) then, but Khor quickly made his way back to the winner's circle on June 8. However, he did not expect the photo finish to be in his favour in Ipoh's feature race. Sweet Love, a seven-year-old son of Outreach, assumed his usual front runner's role under Hafis Saari in the Cosmo C event and led for most of the way, until the Peter Lee-trained Wilamara (Jackie Chuah) closed in strongly on his inside past the 200m. The four-year-old debutant lunged where it mattered. For a moment, it looked to be Wilamara's winning debut in Malaysia, but the photo finish proved otherwise. It was two-time winner Sweet Love ($22) who doggedly held off Wilamara by a nose in the end. Gold Eighty-Three (Syafifie Zailuddin) finished third. Khor's two other runners, Black Thorn (Salee Saad) and King Ravana (Lim Shung Uai), ran unplaced in eighth and 10th respectively. He was relieved the Lim Chun How-owned gelding won, but Khor admitted he thought Sweet Love had lost because the runner-up looked like he was gaining momentum on the leader. "He (Sweet Love) looked like he was beaten, but I'm very lucky he won by a nose," said Khor. "I thought he lost because the horse on the inside came from behind, and looked like he was stronger in the finish. "The ground is good, and the barrier (1) is good for him today. There's only one way to ride this horse, and that's to go in front. I told the jockey to sit up there and don't pressure him. "We'll take one step at a time with him and maybe see if he can back up next week." Riden by Harmeet Singh Gill, Crazy Love also won from barrier to box in the Class 5A contest, albeit he was clearly a length ahead of the second-placed Modric at the finishing post. Khor said the drop in class helped the Outreach five-year-old at his second win. "He was in a Cosmo C race last time (May 24). He's down in class today, so it was easier for him. "I'm very happy with my double today." sharonzhang@
New Paper
06-05-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Coetzee's team ready to rumble
It was at that last Perak meeting on April 26 that trainer Kevin Coetzee pulled off a winning double. The South African conditioner bookended the show by taking the opener with Bullseye in the Class 5B event (1,600m), before winning the Cosmo C race (1,400m) with Man Of Action in the 10th and last race. He had sent in a team of 20 then. Now, Coetzee has entered another big team of 24 runners for the 10-race meeting in Ipoh on May 11. The 67-year-old handler was a busy man on the morning of May 6 as his team of horses were put through their paces on the training track in Ipoh. Some of them did turn in some good gallops. Bullseye was one of the impressive ones. The Per Incanto eight-year-old would have earned nods of approval when running the 600m in a flashy 39.8sec. The New Zealand galloper could be looking at a race-to-race double. Bullseye recorded his last-start victory in spectacular fashion when he came from a spot in midfield to power home like a speedboat among a bunch of canoeists. He eventually beat Master Jiangmen by ½ length - going away - under Haris Pauzi. Coetzee has entered him in a similar race - another Class 5B over the 1,600m - and he looks primed and ready for the assignment. Also from Coetzee's yard and looking serious on the training track were We Can Do It, Colonel Chief and Magic Player. We Can Do It, who is also owned by Coetzee, ran the 600m in 39.3sec. Still a three-year-old, the son of Heroic Valour looked promising at the trials, but he has yet to post a win in two starts. At his last start in an Open Maiden race (1,300m) on March 15, the Australian gelding beat just one home in a field of seven after being slow to clear the chute. We Can Do It is finding his feet. If he can bring that promising trial form to the Class 5A event (1,600m) on May 11, he might be worth a punt at good odds. Entered in the same race is Colonel Chief, who clocked 37.7sec in his morning gallop. He knows what it takes to win a race, having done it seven times. Like most 10-year-old veterans, the Sebi Halo gelding has been around the block. Formerly known as Elite Remarkable when trained by champion trainer Mark Walker at Kranji, the Argentinian-bred was unplaced in 12 starts before moving to Kuala Lumpur towards the end of 2020. Across the Causeway, Colonel Chief has been prepared by trainers Johnny Lim Boon Thong and Sivan Veerapen, for whom he won four races. He then won one for trainer Frank Maynard before transferring to Coetzee's stable, where he has recorded two wins so far. His last victory came in the Class 5A race (1,600m) in Ipoh on Feb 8. Ridden by Wong Kam Chong, Colonel Chief scored a fighting win, holding off strong challenges from Master Jiangmen and Success Street to win by 1¼ lengths. At his subsequent five runs - all over the mile - he failed to produce another win, but he did add to the pot by finishing third on three occasions. Although he is getting long in the tooth, he still champs at the bit and fights to the finish. As for Magic Player, he did his 600m hit-out in 40.2sec and Coetzee could be quietly confident of a good showing from him in the Class 5B race over the 1,400m on May 11. A seven-year-old son of Dissident, Magic Player has a modest record of two wins, three seconds and 10 thirds from 41 starts. But his last-start second to the much-improved Talkingtalkingguru in the Class 5B race (1,300m) on April 26 was full of merit. He ran a gallant race under 3kg claimer Shiva Ngyanasegaran. His latest training gallop on May 6 does seem to suggest he is holding that condition. With just a light weight of 52.5kg to carry on May 11, he could be worth plenty of thought - especially when you are mapping your strategy for those interesting novelty bets. brian@
