3 minute read

Favourite Speedy Missile blasted his rivals with a thumping all-the-way win in the $75,000 Mr Clint 2018 Stakes Restricted Maiden race over the mile on Saturday.

Truth be told, the four-year-old son of Smart Missile pretty much had the race shot to pieces from the moment he kept pressing on from his wide alley to take up the running.

From thereon in, jockey Vlad Duric, who was returning from suspension, gave him a breather and once he clicked him up for his final charge, his dozen of rivals could only watch a clean pair of heels getting further and further in the home straight.

Mark Walker's new ward for long-time client Dato Terry Lee romped in by five lengths from Special Ops (Zy Nor Azman) with Pasir Pinji (Krisna Thangamani) third another 1 ½ lengths away.

Backed down to $13 favouritism, Speedy Missile  clocked 1min 35.79secs for the mile on the Short Course.

Runner-up at his last two starts in similar RM races, while rising through the trips from 1200m to 1400m, Smart Missile showed he was blessed with some stamina with Saturday's account opener, a fact which surprised Walker a little.

"He's probably not bred to run such trips but he won easily at the distance today," said the three-time Singapore champion trainer.

"He's been building up nicely to the win. He got checked shortly at his last start and that cost him the race.

"When the other favoured runners (Alfares, Gnothi Seauton) were scratched today, I knew he'd be hard to beat.

"Vlad gave him a great ride, he summed it up very well. They would have been parked wide, but he kept rolling forward, and that was the key to the win.

"It's fantastic to train another winner for Dato Lee. He's one of the great gentlemen of racing and he along with his daughter Teresa and partners like Ronald Lau have been great supporters of mine."

Walker said he had not worked out any future plans for Speedy Missile in the immediate future. He will now give him a freshen-up before consulting the racing programme again later in the year.