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Super Smart has sprung out of nowhere to come up as trainer Young Keah Yong’s candidate in the $800,000 Group 1 Singapore Guineas (1600m) on Saturday.
Two starts back, the Big Brown three-year-old ran second-best in a Class 4 race over 1200m.
It was only after he powered home when stepped up by another 200m to claim a similar Class 4 event (Thumping 2015 Stakes) on May 5 that Young started toying with the Guineas idea.
A few days later, the second-year trainer dared to do what would have been unthinkable three weeks earlier - lock away the Guineas as Super Smart’s next assignment.
To Young’s and the owner Alan Ang of HKH No 2 Stable’s absolute delight,Super Smart made the cut.
The opponents are, however, not a patch on the Class 4 cattle he has been pitted against thus far. Michael Clements’ Siam Royal Orchid is the only horse in Saturday’s 16-horse field he has even run against, and beaten in that Thumping 2015 Stakes, in third place another 0.6 length away.
It’s the pinnacle of three-year-old racing. Second Leg (Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic) winner (1400m) Top Knight, his placegetters Makkem Lad and Elite Incredible as well as other stalwarts like Lim’s Lightning, Pennywise, Siam Blue Vanda and Siam Vipasiri make up for a daunting field.
Young is all about taking a chance but admitted that Super Smart would have to be at another level of “smart” to beat those.
“After his last win with Benny Woodworth, I thought maybe we can try the Guineas. It’s the last Leg and the distance suits - and you turn three only once,” said Young who saddled Lord Of Cloud to a creditable seventh in last year’s Singapore Guineas won by Mr Clint.
“This horse has kept responding very well at every run. He has been very consistent – he’s won two races and has never finished worse than second in five starts.
“But this is his biggest test. He’s drawn a bit wide, but it’s okay as he can sit behind somewhere in the middle, that’s how he won with Benny last time.
“Unfortunately, Benny is suspended. We booked Noh (Senari) because we feel he is the kind of horse who needs a strong rider.
“He can pull a bit, but he’s overall a good progressive horse who can only improve further whatever he does on Saturday.”
