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New Paper
8 hours ago
- General
- New Paper
Gold Medal Rose within a whiff of maiden victory
With Malaysians celebrating the King's birthday on June 1 and, with the revelry flowing into June 2, there was no "official" trackwork at the Sungai Besi racetrack on the usual Tuesday. Of course, the horses who are down to contest the races on June 7 would not have had much of a break and many would have been given fast work. That being the case, it was - understandably and expectedly - rather quiet on the morning of June 4, when the order of the day would have been to keep it simple. So it was, fast gallops were few and far between but, for those at trackside, there was enough speed to whet the appetite. Impressive among them was Gold Medal Rose. The Wrote filly from the stables of Ooi Chin Chin was in a galloping mood and she covered the 600m in a smart time of 38.2sec. Still looking for that elusive first win, Gold Medal Rose will be having her seventh race start in the Open Maiden event over the 1,200m. On the strength of her most recent gallop, she should give her rivals something to think about. The New Zealand-bred is still a three-year-old and her most impressive showing was when she finished a head second to Defeater on debut in a 1,200m sprint way back on Sept 8, 2024. Ooi has since put her through the grinder. He sent her to the races five times where she added money to the kitty by finishing third on two occasions. In addition, she has been to the trials twice this season. Yes, she looks sufficiently topped up for this assignment coming up and it could pay to include her in that list of "horses to follow". Also turning on the style - but not in a sprinting sort of way - was Zero Five Five. The handsome-looking chestnut loosened up with some solid cantering and will come into the action in a Class 4B (1,150m) on June 7, looking primed and poised for a good showing. Prepared by Richard Lines, who pulled off a win with Seson on June 1, Zero Five Five came close to a first Malaysian win in Ipoh on May 11. But he had to be content with second, finding one better in Prince Lonhro. However, make no mistake about it, Zero Five Five knows a thing or two about racing and has a win to show. When based at Flemington before being flown out here, Zero Five Five - then racing as Wirrapanda - won a 1,130m race in Geelong on March 26, 2024. No doubt the Wandjina four-year-old's last-start ninth in a Class 4B (1,400m) back on his home track was a let-down, but on his smart workout, he can bounce back. It could also pay to keep an eye on Navy Seals, who is set to contest the Class 4 (B) race over the 1,700m. Trainer Frank Maynard sent the US Navy Flag four-year-old out for some fast work on June 4 and he came through that 600m sprint in 39.2sec. Already a four-time winner - three of which came when he was under the care of Tan Kah Soon at Kranji - Navy Seals won once for Maynard. That was on April 5 when he showed racing fans at Sungai Besi just how good a stayer he was. That day, when partnered by Nuqman Rozi, he came from near last at the 400m mark to power home for a narrow win over the 2,000m. He goes over 1,700m on June 7 and, while it might seem a tad short, he is in that kind of form which makes all things possible. Maynard can also count on Star Victory, who ran over the 600m in 40sec. The Vancouver six-year-old is still winless in Malaysia, but do not hold it against him. While housed at Kranji under the helm of English trainer James Peters, he posted six wins - over trips ranging between 1,100m and 1,400m. His last win was on Sept 28 when he came with a pounding run over the concluding stages of that 1,200m race to score by half-a-length. That day, he had five-time Singapore champion jockey Manoel Nunes doing the steering. The 1,500m he has to cover on June 7 should be right up his alley and, with the benefit of that solid piece of work, he could be anything he wants to be. brian@
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@
