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New Paper
3 days ago
- 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
13-07-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Platinum Emperor rules first-up in Asia Cup
KUALA LUMPUR - Resuming after a three-month break, Platinum Emperor landed the money in the RM62,000 (S$18,600) Mitavite Asia Cup (1,400m) at Sungai Besi on July 12. Ridden by Marc Lerner for the first time, the Sweynesse five-year-old jumped from gate nine and settled in midfield early. King Of Sixty-One (Ikram Jamaludin) and January (Andre da Silva) shared the lead, with Cavalry (Wong Kam Chong) and Kanthaka (Iskandar Rosman) in close attendance. Platinum Emperor made good ground on the home bend and began to fight out the finish with the first four at the 400m. The two early leaders soon folded while Calvary and Platinum Emperor broke away with 200m to go, and it was Platinum Emperor ($14) who took the upper hand and won by ½ length. Fortune Wheel (Lim Aun Kean) finished another four lengths away in third. The winning time on a track rated yielding was 1min 23.22sec for the 1,400m on the long course. Previously known as Famous Rainbow in Macau, Platinum Emperor won on his Malaysian debut in the Wilayah Silver Bowl on Feb 2, followed by a third to Noah Khan in the Group 1 Tunku Gold Cup (1,200m) on March 16, before being sidelined. "He had some health issues, so we gave him plenty of time to recover," said winning trainer Ricky Choi. "He needed the run but Marc Lerner rode him well. It was our plan that he settled off the pace before coming home. He will be better over a longer trip." While Platinum Emperor scored on the 1,200m and 1,400m in Kuala Lumpur, he has won eight races from 1,200m to 1,800m in Macau. Lerner was pleased with the win, even if he had to ride him a bit more positive than before. "I tried to ride him more forward than he used to," he said. "But over today's (long) course, I was also wary not to hit the front too early. He was quite relaxed during the race. On class, he was the best horse in the race." Visiting jockey Bernardo Pinheiro, who will also be riding in Kuala Lumpur on July 20, was back in the winner's enclosure with the Sharee Hamilton-trained Super Posh ($26) in a Class 4B sprint (1,200m) after a four-month layoff. The Brazilian jockey last rode in Abu Dhabi on March 9, but had to take a break from racing due to minor health issues. "I felt the pain in my body then, and while it's hard to say exactly where my injury came from, maybe I've worked too hard and my body just needed rest," said Pinheiro, who rang up a treble at his last visit to Sungai Besi on Sept 22, 2024. "But I'm thankful to the Selangor Turf Club and happy to be winning again." SELANGOR TURF CLUB/TURFONLINE
