3 minute read
Last year’s Jumbo Jet Trophy winner Preditor will make a bold attempt to go back-to-back first-up from a break this Sunday.
He will, however, be partnered in the $175,000 Group 3 race over 1400m by a jockey who does not boast the most flattering record on him – four rides for four unplaced finishes – Matthew Kellady.
With the five-time winner (1400m to 1800m) weighted at 54.5kgs, his winningest partner (three wins), heavyweight jockey John Powell had to sit out the ride.
Hong Kong sensation Matthew Poon was the rider (when still an apprentice jockey) at the other two wins. The first one came at the "Poon Train's" first Kranji visit in 2017 followed by that flying finish in last year's Jumbo Jet Trophy to inflict Singapore champion Debt Collector a stunning head-defeat.
Trainer Shane Baertschiger is fully aware of Kellady's poor stats with the Savabeel six-year-old, and couldn't resist giving his stable No 2 jockey a bit of a ribbing.
"Matty has the worst record on Preditor – not even a placing in four rides!" said Baertschiger.
"Matty better buck up this Sunday! But seriously, he's the one who gallops the horse as he's the only one who can hold him – Preditor's always keen in his trackwork."
The Australian handler of course appreciates Kellady, a loyal worker who has stuck solid to the yard since his father Don's training days, and ridden countless winners for the family.
The Malaysian rider has this year supplied Baertschiger with six of his 33 winners this season – and a seventh one on a horse he has yet to break his duck in a feature race to boot, could be in the offing on Sunday.
"For some reason, our luck have not come together. I like to joke he's the Predator and I'm the Alien!" said Kellady.
"Early days when I rode him, he was running against better horses, like Jupiter Gold, and then Cliff Brown's horses like Elite Excalibur and of course Debt Collector.
"But Shane always puts me on in his gallops because he's a hard-going type of horse. During his races, he is a lot more relaxed.
"He galloped on his own on the Polytrack this morning and I was happy with his condition. Obviously, I got the ride because JP can't make the weight, and I think he's got a good chance on Sunday.
"Hopefully, I can win my first race on him, and at the same time, win my third Group 3 race."
The 39-year-old Ipoh-born jockey boasts two feature race wins (both for Baertschiger) to his resume, both Group 3 events, the now-defunct, Causeway Classic Stakes (1800m) with One Rar in 2014 and the Colonial Chief Stakes (1700m) with Best Tothelign who dead-heated with Desmond Koh's Order Of The Sun (Benny Woodworth) in 2015.
Preditor is arguably a much better horse than those two. He has the bragging rights of being the last locally-trained horse to beat Debt Collector, and it was precisely in the Jumbo Jet Trophy.
Debt Collector was not to lose a race again (four wins in a row) until the Invitational Group 1 Kranji Mile (1600m) in May, beaten in fourth place by Hong Kong's Southern Legend.
That was to be the last time Preditor raced, too. The noted backmarker ran on gamely for sixth, another quarter-length away from Debt Collector, who has since gone to Australia to continue his racing career.
Preditor is on the other hand well and truly here, ready for his return, even if it was not really by design to pick the feature race he annexed last year as the race for his comeback.
"He was supposed to run first-up in a Class 1 race over 1400m on June 21, but it was scrapped," said Baertschiger who also races Preditor in his name.
"I gave him two more weeks off and brought him back. He's been working well, but didn't get to trial as the one he was supposed to run in was cancelled last Thursday!
"Anyway, he's jumped off the backstraight the other day, that'll do. He's fit and well and has been a solid stalwart to the stable.
"He's had a good freshen-up, he goes well fresh and has got a good first-up record."
