3 minute read
It’s local trainer Jason Ong who kicked off the new 2020 Singapore season with the first winner on Wednesday, $17 favourite Classified in the $30,000 Welcome 2020 Stakes Class 5 Division 1 race over 1000m.
For good measure, the most recently-licensed and youngest trainer in the Kranji ranks at 32 went on to saddle a brilliant race-to-race double in the next event, the $75,000 Prosperity 2020 Stakes Restricted Maiden race (1200m) with newcomer The Wild Bunch ($34).
Aptly, both gallopers belong to his father Ong Boon Hin of Warplan Racing Stable – the connections made famous by 2014 Singapore Horse of the Year War Affair.
Ong could certainly not have dreamed of a better way to frank the good impression he left at his rookie year in 2019 when he took over his former mentor Bruce Marsh in September to rack up a decent record of seven winners in 94 starters.
To get off to such a flier with an old stager Classified (eight-year-old by Savabeel) and a debutant like The Wild Bunch also summed up perfectly the smooth transition from the legacy left with the Marsh-trained horses to a new era where he can now hold his own with a team he prepared from scratch.
"I'm very pleased to win the first two races of the year," said Ong.
"I was expecting Classified to run good as he was rock-hard fit and (his apprentice jockey) Zy (Zyrul Nor Azman) rode him good.
"Unfortunately, I didn't get to see the race from the parade ring as the image went off on the TV. It's great to get a win from him as he's had a few issues and he's now eight years old. I'm sure he'll win again.
"As for the new horse (The Wild Bunch ), we were fortunate to get a good draw (marble one) and TH (Teck Huat) Koh jumped him good. The horse has good gate speed.
"He's still a bit underdone, this race will top him up. New Zealand bloodstock agent Phil Cataldo bought him and I think he can go further up to the mile."
Zyrul was also rapt to have his name etched to the inaugural winner of that new season, joking he was now the lamplighter in the apprentice jockey ranks.
"I'm now the leading apprentice!" he said with a chuckle as he stepped off the scales.
"Anyway, it's pretty good to have such a great start. The horse jumped well, we wanted to lead, but a couple were faster and I took hold of him.
"He then opened up nicely in the straight."
Though looking like he was struggling to muster an acceleration at the 400m, Classified eventually hit top gear to go and defeat Heart Of Courage (Azhar Ismail) by half-a-length with Overcoming (Michael Rodd) third another half-length away. The winning time was 1min 0.69sec for the 1000m on the Polytrack.
While Classified plotted a path down the middle of the track to grind his way past race-leader Ko Olina (Simon Kok Wei Hoong), The Wild Bunch, a three-year-old by just-deceased New Zealand stallion Tavistock, hit the front along the rails from a longer way out to sustain his charge to the line.
He kept on gamely to hold Eunos Ave Three (Alysha Collett) at bay by half-a-length with King's Landing (John Sundradas) third another 3 ¼ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 13.49secs for the 1200m on the Polytrack.
"Nice horse, but he's still green," said Koh.
"I got him in a nice midfield spot and he hit the line well. He can still improve, though."
