3 minute read
New trainer Jerome Tan is hoping his recent purple patch of form can continue this Friday.
The first-year handler has taken a while to hit his straps, even if his first winner Heavenly Hand on March 8 was not long time coming considering he only launched his first runner at the end of February.
Visits to the winner's circle have not come in droves thereafter, but with an average of one per month, considering he does not helm a big team of horses - mostly patched up from other trainers - Tan was slowly making inroads.
But three winners in the space of two weeks – Pennsylvania (already at his third win for Tan) on August 16, Pakatan Warrior on August 18 and Turf Beauty on August 23 – have seen the 52-year-old trainer grace the post-race TV interviews more often than usual.
Not camera-shy for one bit, the amiable handler has always given professional and comprehensive accounts of each of his eight wins at Kranji thus far.
To see the Singaporean reap the fruit of his labour after only eight months in Singapore does not really come as a surprise, though.
Tan is no newbie to the business of training and winning races. In more than 2,700 starters during his nine years as a trainer in his own right (he was Cecil Robert's former assistant-trainer) in Penang, he chalked up 190 winners, with the 2012 Perak Derby with Mr Ambassador as his highest accolade.
Training in his own backyard is a dream come true, but to get the results quite early into his new stint has been even more rewarding.
"It's taken some time, but the horses have come through. I haven't done anything more special than what I was doing in Penang, just keep to the same routine every day," said Tan.
"It was great to train three winners in the last two weeks. It's a sign that the hard work and the teamwork from my staff are paying off.
"I also give a lot of rides to Marc Lerner these days. He's a hard-working jockey, he rides well and I get along well with him."
The French jockey has thus far teamed up successfully only once with Tan – Beautiful Day on June 1, but the growing partnership has been noticeable in the last four weeks, even before Lerner was suspended.
"Marc rides four of my six runners this Friday. All of them have a chance, but if I have to pick the best one, it'll have to be Pakatan Warrior," said Tan of the Greenwood Lake five-year-old, who is incidentally the only Malaysian horse he brought along when he came to Singapore, and who was his first Kranji runner on February 22.
"He has maintained his condition after his last win (Class 5 race over 1700m on August 18), and I think he can put up another bold showing.
"He is not an easy horse to ride, though, but I hope Marc can get the best out of him."
Pakatan Warrior is engaged in the $30,000 Class 5 race over 1800m on Polytrack. Lerner also pilots Cizen Boss in Race 2, debutant Classic Dragon in Class 3 and Silver Sky in the last race.
Tan also saddles two other horses in Race 6, the $50,000 Class 4 Division 1 race over 1200m on Polytrack – Big Star and Elite Beast to be ridden by Chin Chee Seng and Ben Thompson respectively.
"Elite Beast is on the quick back-up. He ran very well at his last start (closing second to Count Me In) last Sunday," he said.
"He's running in a tough field, but I expect another good race from him."
Tan said that a trainer cannot possibly rely on the same string of horses all the time. Horses reaching their mark, and wear and tear are the reasons why new stock must always be at hand.
"I have been getting new horses to keep the stable going. I've got one from Australia, who just arrived and another raced horse from Hong Kong called Cao Cao," he said.
"Another Hong Kong horse named Super Missile was supposed to join me but he didn't pass the MRA (Malayan Racing Association) vet check."
