3 minute read
A drop back to his pet 1000m speed scamper produced a second win in near record time for promising sprinter Super Invincible on Sunday, though trainer Lee Freedman has not ruled out a step-up back to longer another day.
The I Am Invincible four-year-old posted his only previous win over that trip at his third Kranji start, but had to settle for second place behind Churchill at his last start when stepped up over 200m longer in a Class 3 Division 2 race on November 7.
Brought back in trip to his winning distance in the $70,000 Mohd A'Isisuhairi Bin Kasim Stakes for Class 3 gallopers on Sunday, Super Invincible ($11) lived up to his name with flying colours this time round.
Vying for his favourite leading role, he went on to never give his backers any anxious moments the moment he came across from his wide barrier to settle on the plastic.
Well rated by Ruan Maia, he was off and gone once he was given his cue to stretch out upon straightening. A fast-closing Watch Out Boss (Benny Woodworth) came chipping away at the margin halfway up the straight, but fell short by 1 ¼ lengths.
Yulong Fast Steed (Marc Lerner) ran third another 2 ¼ lengths away. Super Invincible ran a sizzling 57.73 seconds, only 0.03 second outside the record of 2017 Polytrack champion Nova Swiss.
"He's a very brilliant young sprinter. At his last start over 1100m, he still ran very well," said Freedman.
"At his first start, he was taken on and it was a race best forgotten. He has bounced back since, and it's great for the owners, who also races Super Dynasty who just won the (Group 3) Colonial Chief Stakes (1600m) a few weeks ago.
"Whether he can run 1100m, time will tell, but he ran good time today. He went hard early and he was racing away from them.
"Ruan is also a great Polytrack rider. When you're a confident jockey riding with your tail up, the horse just tends to run for you."
Maia might not fully grasp the English language but he will most certainly get the gist of that expression. With four-time Singapore champion jockey Vlad Duric serving a two-day suspension, he is certainly making every post a winning one.
Last year's close runner-up to Duric had already opened his 2021 account aboard Per Incrown ($20) in the season opener, the $30,000 Welcome 2021 Stakes, a Class 5 Division 1 race over the Polytrack mile.
"It's a very good start to the year. I knew I had a few good rides today, I'm just doing my best and things have gone well," said Maia who was crowned champion jockey at his last two seasons in Macau before shifting to Singapore last year.
"This horse Super Invincible is a very fast horse. I had him leading comfortably over that distance and controlling in front.
"He finished very strongly."
Super Invincible has now taken his emerging record to two wins and two seconds from five starts for stakes earnings that are fast closing on the $90,000 mark for the Joy N Happiness Stable.
