3 minute read
As a horse owner, Miller Wun would probably have more reasons to give up on his passion than to pursue it amid those turbulent COVID-19 times.
However the sight of two newcomers sporting his maroon and white striped silks this Saturday are little encouraging signs that racing may still be restored to good health after all.
With the grandstand still off limits to crowds, the owner of handy sorts like Nimble , Glasgow, Mach and recent longshot winner ($121) Surge will be at home, all thrilled to watch his latest buys Sage (saddlecloth No 1) and Ima (saddlecloth No 2) lead the 12-strong field filing out of the paddock in the $20,000 Open Maiden (1200m).
As has been the purchasing pattern of the MMW Stable thus far, Wun and his partner Simon Yeom have a preference for tried horses, whom they then rename.
Miller Wun endeared himself to Kranji with his positivity despite drawing the carpark for Glasgow at the 2019 Singapore Derby post position draw.
Interestingly, except for Super Speed, all their horses have a one-word name.
"I like them short and simple," said Wun, the creative half who comes up with the new monikers, including MMW which he said stood for "Multi Million Wun"!
Simple is also Wun's explanation for still dipping into his pockets to pledge support to Singapore racing with two new acquisitions despite the recent upheavals – drop in number of meetings by half, horses struggling to get a start, Group races slashed, etc.
"I got a couple of horses who were put down, Mach and Quantum, so when (trainer Steven) Burridge told me about those two new horses, I was happy to buy them as replacements," said Wun, who first got noticed for his jovial and upbeat personality at the 2019 Singapore Derby post position draw ceremony despite drawing ordinary for Nimble and, mostly, Glasgow.
"Don't get me wrong, this game is very tough as the training bills for my seven horses are to the tune of $20,000 a month. I've been an owner for around three to four years, and if you have no winner in one month, you can't recover your costs.
"Surge won last week, but you can't have too much confidence when your horse shows such big odds. You can't really make it up on betting with such horses."
The commercial interior fit-out businessman, however, expects both Sage and Ima to start at the other end of the market spectrum this Saturday.
"They're still new, but I believe they have been trialling well and will be among the favourites," he said.
"Burridge would have preferred not to run them together, but he said they're better on turf. I trust the trainer, he knows his job."
The Australian handler, who prepares four of Wun's horses (other two are Glasgow, Super Speed while Leticia Dragon trains Nimble, Surge and Rumble), would certainly have a good insight of the pair of maidens. He hand-picked them himself.
"They're both two nice horses. I bought both of them through my Melbourne bloodstock agent Lou Liparota, who bought Adipson for me before," said Burridge.
"Both are better over more ground. Sage raced in New Zealand (as Mongolian Sun) and is by Reset, so he's more of a miler, and he's run over the mile back home, while Ima raced in Australia (as Busby) and is a Helmet, so he's a 1400m type.
"They both won their last trials. At his last trial, Sage wore blinkers, which he wore in his races back home, he looked to be going hard, but that was because there was nothing much in that trial and CC Wong (Chin Chuen) also gave him a kick out of the gates.
"Ima settled behind (under A'Isisuhairi Kasim) and ran on nicely in his trial. They have both drawn well (Sage in two and Ima in three) and I expect both to race up handy, but it'll depend how they go first-up.
"They were both ready to race after three trials. I wished I could split them between the two Open Maiden races, but 1000m would not suit them; as a first start, it'd be better to race them on grass.
"I bought Ima first, in January last year, He got here in March, and had a few niggling issues but he has come right.
"I bought Sage in April just after the lockdown, he's a three-quarter brother to (dual Group 1 winner) Aramaayo, but I didn't know that then. He was a colt but he was gelded straightaway when he got here.
"So, they both got here at a bad time, and I'm glad Miller and Simon were willing to take them. They've supported me for a while now, and we've had some success together.
"I've given both horses more time to settle in. They are two lightly-raced horses who will improve with more racing, and I think they can go on to become nice horses."
The partners at the last winning barrier trial retain the rides on Saturday, Wong on Sage and A'Isisuhairi on Ima.
