4 days ago
Big Union has first Malaysian win in sight
While all eyes out there may be locked on the prestigious Selangor Mile - the highlight race at Sungai Besi on July 20 - there are other good races on the undercard that have good winning chances too.
Some of the the frisky four-year-olds involved in the RM1 million (S$235,000) race over 1,600m were put through their paces on the training track, but none seemed to be willing to give away much in terms of form.
First, there was the highest-rated Antipodean - sitting on 103 points - from the field of 17.
The son of Derryn - who was just transferred back to Simon Dunderdale's yard after six starts with Tiang Kim Choi - had an easy dash over the 600m, which he covered in 40sec. He is at the top of his game.
Valois, another one from Dunderdale's yard, breezed over the 600m in 41sec.
Trained by Lawson Moy, Eruption went a tad faster, stopping the clock at 39.2sec, which left the Richard Lines-trained Kim Emperor to top the time sheet with a fluent 38.7sec gallop.
Other than the "stars" in the Selangor Mile making their appearances, racers on the undercard also tossed in good gallops on a track rated good.
Top of the pops was Big Union. He, who will see action in the Selangor Silver - an open race over 1,300m for four-year-olds - turned in a respectable 38.8sec for his romp over the 600m.
Never further than fifth in his last seven runs in Kuala Lumpur, Big Union has a good chance of claiming his first Malaysian win.
A five-time winner at Kranji - all with jockey Bernardo Pinheiro - Big Union will have the service of the visiting Brazilian hoop again this time, and trainer Jerome Tan will be looking for a top showing from this son of Zoustar.
From trainer Richard Lim's camp, Southern Speed turned in a smart gallop, running the 600m in 37.8sec.
The I Am Invincible seven-year-old will line up in the Class 4B sprint (1,200m), and he will come into Sunday's action on the back of an impressive last-start win in a Class 5A race (1,400m) on June 29.
That day, Southern Speed led from barrier to box. It was a fighting win and he eventually held off Spieth Heroine by a head.
The drop back in trip should suit Southern Speed better as he has, in 51 starts, won three races over the shorter 1,200m.
He is up in grade but the five-time winner has, in the past, dealt with Class 4 rivals and still come out tops.
Watch out for Defeater, who is down to contest the Class 4A race over 1,200m. The Unite And Conquer three-year-old worked well, covering the 600m in 41.8sec.
Trained by Tiang, Defeater is a rising star in Malaysian racing.
To date, he has produced a handy record of three wins - all over 1,200m - three seconds and three thirds from 16 runs.
At his last run in an Open race (1,600m) on June 29, Defeater was soundly beaten in that race won by Trees Of Valinor.
The Australian galloper jumped from gate 12 and was angled out wide in the straight, but he did not make inroads when Khairil Zulkiflee asked for more, eventually finishing in eighth.
Defeater is better than that. After all, it was as recently as his second-last start on June 15, in a Class 4A race (1,100m), that he ran a gallant second to the promising four-year-old Hypeman, who won on debut in Malaysia.
Put a line through his last start and watch for an improved showing from the talented Defeater.
Come July 20, he will have the track and trip on his side, and his connections could be looking at a fourth win at his 17th start.
Another runner who will have the track and trip in his favour is Baby Twins.
Trained by Tan, the Mondialiste five-year-old turned in a good workout, running the 600m in 38.4sec.
The four-time winner, once at Kranji and thrice at Sungai Besi, has recorded all his wins at Class 4 level.
The closest he got to a win at Class 3 level was when he finished ½ length in third behind Honesty on May 18.
But, Baby Twins will get into the Class 3 race (1,100m) on July 20 with a featherweight of 52kg. It is a huge plus, and if left unchallenged up front, he could make every post a winning one.
brian@
