29-07-2025
No More Delay set to double the score
No More Delay's last-start victory on June 29 gave spectators something to savour.
Trained by Wayne Lim, No More Delay motored home strongly over the final furlong in that Class 3 race (1,200m), but so did Pacific MV.
The Zoustar six-year-old got his head down where it mattered, denying Pacific MV of the honours by three parts of a length.
Now, he has a date with the starter on Aug 2 - which is the first of a two-day Selangor meeting - and he could be looking at a race-to-race double.
Owned by the Trips D Stable, No More Delay served notice of his chances in the Class 3 sprint (1,200m) when he turned in a smart gallop at Sungai Besi on the morning of July 29.
On a track rated "good", No More Delay loosened up with a strong canter before showing fluent action over the 600m which he covered in 41sec.
Already a six-time winner from 34 starts - twice over 1,200m in Singapore and four times in Malaysia - it will not come as a surprise to see the former Kranji galloper run away with this sprint.
Commander, who will see action in that Class 4B race (1,400m) on Aug 2, was another who served notice of his intentions with a smart training gallop.
The four-year-old New Zealand-bred stopped the clock at 40.8sec, an effort that would have pleased reigning champion trainer Simon Dunderdale.
The U S Navy Flag son was a "good thing beaten" at his last start, finishing fourth in a Class 4A event over 1,200m on July 20, which was won by Billy Elliot.
Flashback to the action and Commander was never in a hurry.
The Foong Ah Weng-owned galloper chose to take the scenic route home and it was only at the furlong mark, when urged along by Uzair Sharudin, that he grew wings and took off.
But there was too much catching up to do.
To date, Commander has won five races - once over 1,600m when trained by Donna Logan in Singapore - and placed second on four occasions.
Among his four wins in Kuala Lumpur, three came over 1,400m and one was over the 1,300m. The 1,400m on Aug 2 is right up his alley and his sixth win could come sooner than later.
At his fifth and last win two starts ago over the 1,400m on July 6, Commander stayed closer to the lead and was let loose 400m from home. His rivals had no answer and he cruised in by 1½ lengths.
Back in his comfort zone, Commander could be one of the better bets at the races coming up.
Another one who bears watching is Lim's Betterready. He turned in a pleasing workout when running the 600m in 40sec.
One of four from Lawson Moy's yard entered for the Aug 2 meeting, his last few races were nothing to crow about.
But roll back to his last win in a Supreme C contest on July 7, 2024, and one will see that it was over the 1,400m.
The Better Than Ready seven-year-old has not been in tip-top state, but lining up in the Class 4B contest (1,400m) could work in his favour, for he has won twice over the trip in six wins.
The same could be said for Magic Captain, who showed promise in his training gallop when running the 600m in 38.2sec.
Trained and owned by 11-time Malaysian champion trainer Richard Lines, who has entered a team of nine horses on Aug 2, Magic Captain's last four races will do little to inspire confidence - but he is better than that.
A noted front runner, the son of Furnaces has won three times, all over sprints: twice over 1,100m in Ipoh and once over 1,075m in Kuala Lumpur.
Give the six-year-old gelding a chance in the Class 4A race (1,020m) on Aug 2.
He gets in with a nice weight of just 54.5kg, and should he get going at a cracking pace, the rest might find him hard to chase down.
brian@
