3 minute read
Sunday’s meeting got off to a happy event when Super Win handed owner Chua Kang Lim the perfect birthday present in the first race, the $30,000 Class 5 Division 1 race over 1200m on Polytrack.
Sticking to the last-start successful frontrunning tactics, jockey Matthew Kellady rated the Zoustar three-year-old to a tee upfront until the point of the turn where a few shakes of the reins saw them pinch a three-length break that proved unassailable in the end.
Favourite Success Come True had every chance, but was too far back to be a significant threat to the $30 shot. In damage control mode, he could only “cut his losses” to 1 ¾ lengths with Luck Mak Mak (ex-Alamosa Express) third another length away. The winning time was 1min 12.38secs for the 1200m.
“Happy Birthday to Mr Chua who is celebrating his 65th birthday today! It’s great for him as he’s been a wonderful supporter of mine over the years,” said winning trainer Alwin Tan whose successful horses for Mr Chua and partners include the likes of Super Fortune, Happy Money, Robin Hood, among the most notable.
“Today, I was a bit worried as he was carrying the top weight of 60kgs. My main concern was if there was not much pace, it’d be hard for him to finish off,” said Tan.
“As he won from the front last time, I told Matty to follow the same racing pattern and go forward. Matty knows how to judge this horse now, he knows when to push the buttons.”
Kellady has indeed bonded nicely with Super Win , having now brought up a record of two wins (last one, also after leading, was in a similar Class 5 race over 1200m on the alternative surface on May 5) and one third from three pairings.
Shane Baertschiger’s No 2 jockey, who doesn’t ride all that often for Tan, said the 2016 Singapore champion trainer’s polish was the real winning factor.
“I’m just the pilot. All credit should go to Alwin and his team for keeping this horse in good shape two weeks after his last win,” said the Malaysian jockey.
“This horse goes well for me – two wins and one third from three starts. When he ran third, we tried to race him off the pace, but he couldn’t go with the pace.
“Connections elected to put me back on and it’s paid off with two winners. He had a soft lead today, and even though I was worried he would not kick again with the 60kgs, he did it in style.”
Kellady has certainly played more than a bit part in the stakes earned by Super Win. He was aboard at the two wins and one placing that have reaped around $50,000 for Mr Chua’s Happiness Come Stable.
