3 minute read

If the Fortuna NZ Racing Stable had named Elliot Ness after the US prohibition agent made famous by The Untouchables movie, he was certainly never in danger of being shot down on Saturday.

After two forward showings, the New Zealand outfit's new gem franked that form in the best possible way with a record-breaking performance in the $75,000 Aramco 2019 Stakes Restricted Maiden race over 1100m.

The Mark Walker-trained Written Tycoon three-year-old came off a cracking pace set by the Michael Clements duo of Sahabat (Shafrizal Saleh) and Skylight (Louis-Philippe Beuzelin) in an ideal one-out one-back spot before letting down with a devastating turn of foot inside the last 300m.

Without really being given full bore by Vlad Duric, Elliot Ness still effortlessly detached himself from the pack to go and score going away by just under four lengths.

The win not only gave Walker a trifecta with Reignite (Hakim Kamaruddin) and King Arthur (Wong Chin Chuen) filling out the second and third spots, a gap of four and a half lengths apart, but also another significant milestone to Duric – a 600th winner at Kranji.

But the real talking point was the 0.02 second Elliot Ness shaved off from Tuesday's course record established in January on a track rated as yielding, and while being eased down.

Duric was obviously delighted with his feat on a personal level, but more so when it was achieved on a conveyance who may well bump up his record further.

"I'm really rapt I got my 600th win. It's something to be proud of, I guess," said the four-time Singapore champion jockey.

"It's Saimee Jumaat who had been trialling this horse (Elliot Ness) up and told me a while back about him. He pinpointed him to me and told me to put my backside on him.

"He broke the record easing down. In 12 months' time, he'll run in the Lion City Cup."

The premier sprint is run later in the afternoon with Duric taking the ride on likely favourite Grand Koonta for James Peters. The English trainer would go into the Group 1 race a little more relaxed after he picked up a surprise winner with Asgard Massif (Wong, $54) going all the way in the next race, the $50,000 Lim's Cruiser 2017 & 2018 Stakes, a Class 4 Division 2 race over 1400m.

Raced by liver surgeon Dr Tan Kai Chah, Asgard Massif (x Fastnet Rock) is a son of Dr Tan's former Kranji champion mare Jolie's Shinju, and was registering his first local win after landing here with a decent record of four wins in 15 starts in Australia.

The give in the track must have helped while Walker wasn't sure if it had the same boosting effect on Elliot Ness, but to him, it's the trip that was his forte.

"I think he's a straight out-and-out sprinter. Vlad tends to think that as well," said the three-time Singapore champion trainer.

"So, I may look at the 1200m Leg of the 3YO races (Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint on June 27), but I'm not sure about the second Leg over 1400m (Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic on July 18). For now, I'm looking at a Novice race over 1200m on May 22.

"Today, he jumped really good and tracked up with cover. He then showed a great turn of foot.

"He's a nice horse going forward. I think Dan Meagher's horse (Lim's Kosciuszko) is very good and that formline (when second to Lim's Kosciuszko at his last start on March 20) was very strong, Vlad was very bullish today.

"It's also good for John Galvin who has been a great supporter of Singapore racing for quite a while.

"He's the greatest to deal with. Never once during the COVID-19 situation did he grumble, he's such a champion guy."

Thanks to his two seconds, Elliot Ness  has, with that maiden win, now made around $65,000 in prizemoney for the Fortuna NZ Racing Stable.