3 minute read

Jerome Tan got off to a winning start as the new trainer of Surpass Natural at the season opener, but wasn’t so sure about a repeat dose at this Saturday’s $100,000 Kranji Stakes A race over 1200m on turf.

Taking over the Elvstroem five-year-old from trainer Leticia Dragon in December, Tan hasn't taken long to tap into his potential.

The first-up win came in another Kranji Stakes A race, which was run at Kranji's 2021 curtain raiser on January 3 – but on Polytrack, Surpass Natural l's preferred course.

It's not just the surface switch which makes for a different ball game this Saturday.

The seven-time winner (only one recorded on turf) won't have Hong Kong-bound Ruan Maia aboard, has been slapped with the 58kgs topweight, and faces tougher opposition like Fame Star and Grand Koonta.

Tan is also trying out a jockey he had never used before, just promoted-to-senior ranks Zyrul Nor Azman, but he worked out that the New Zealand-trained rider's three-kilo claim outweighed that risk.

"This horse is, as we all know, better on Polytrack. When he won on turf, it was in a Class 4 race, this is a Kranji Stakes A race," said Tan.

"The other worry is the kid I have put on. He's never ridden for me before, but I wanted a claimer because of the 58kgs handicap, and there was no other rider available.

"Zy has never seen, let alone ridden this horse in race or in trackwork, even when he (Surpass Natural) was with Leticia. So there's a bit of a question mark there.

"He's a good horse, we can only hope for luck in the running."

The former Penang-based trainer has had a fair bit of luck on his side so far. He was the new season's first winning trainer with Per Incrown before Surpass Natural made it a double, handing him his first ever opportunity to slip into the yellow jersey on Day 1.

Another Dragon transfer, Per Incrown incidentally also races this Saturday, in the last event, the $50,000 Class 4 Division 1 race over 1400m. South African jockey Juan Paul van der Merwe, who hasn't opened his 2021 account, takes the ride.

Beer Garden extended Tan's tally to three winners at the second meeting, maintaining his top spot on the log, but the yard drew a blank at the last meeting last weekend. He has since dropped to fourth place tied on number of winners with Mark Walker and Daniel Meagher, while defending champion Michael Clements has already scaled to the top on four winners.