3 minute read
Top sprinter Fame Star showed absolutely no signs of ring-rustiness at his racing return in the $100,000 Stepitup 2015 Stakes, a Kranji Stakes A race over 1200m on Saturday.
Rested since his Group 2 EW Barker Trophy (1400m) triumph in November, the speedy US-bred son of Twirling Candy had been giving positive signs on the training tracks as well as at two barrier trial wins that he was battle-ready.
But up against some handy sorts like Gingerella or the up-and-coming River Radiance and Muraahib, not to mention a host of rivals in the speed department such as Gingerella, Eye Guy, Augustano and Autumn Rush, the seven-time winner was no certainty.
Still, punters sent him out as the $9 favourite, and they proved to be right on the money from barrier to box.
Bouncing straight to the lead from gate No 4, Fame Star controlled the pace throughout, albeit he had to absorb a bit of pressure from Augustano (Iskandar Rosman) and Gingerella (Patrick Moloney) in the mid-stages.
Upon cornering, Fame Star (Marc Lerner) easily shook both of them off, but Muraahib (Simon Kok Wei Hoong), who stalked up the speed from the box-seat presented as the fresh horse on the scene.
But John O'Hara's speedster again displayed that amazing capacity to go through his gears whenever the pressure is poured on him.
Muraahib tried valiantly, but as hard as he tried, he could hardly put an indent into the margin. River Radiance (Ruan Maia) came with a late surge through the pack, but Fame Star was safely over the line by three parts of a length.
Muraahib stuck on for third place another 1 ½ lengths away. The winning time was a smart 1min 9.31secs for the 1200m on the Long Course.
"He was always going to be vulnerable first-up, and if there was a horse who was going to give us trouble, I knew it'd be River Radiance. He's a decent horse that one," said assistant-trainer Stephen Crutchley.
"He was not really screwed down for today's race, but he's a very good horse. We'll see how he pulls up, he will improve from that first run."
The Group 1 Lion City Cup (1200m) is the five-year-old's main goal this season, but with the premier sprint race only due on May 23, the O'Hara camp is still faced with the challenge of mapping out a couple of lead-up runs in the interim.
"There is nothing for him. The Lion City Cup is his race, but I really don't know where to run him until then," said Crutchley.
"I even thought of going up to 1400m and dropping him back. I'll have to go through the programme again."
Lerner, who first partnered the Toast Trusts & Kadima Stable-owned gelding in the EW Barker Trophy, said he was mindful not to put the squeeze too much first-up.
"It's always a pleasure to ride horses like him," said the French jockey, who unfortunately begins a double careless riding suspension amounting to six meetings off next week.
"Steve was very confident. He just told me to do what he likes to do.
"It's his style to get going, but I was careful not to let him go too fast. He was hanging on the rails a bit, but he was too good in the end."
Maia for one could not wait to test the runner-up over more ground.
"That was a very good run. He needs more distance," said the Brazilian jockey.
"I wasn't at all surprised he ran on that strongly. He's always been a good horse, but the winner is also very good."
With that eighth win - with last six scored in a row - combined with his six seconds and one third, Fame Star is now just a tick under the $600,000 mark in terms of prizemoney banked in for Constance Cheng (pictured above with O'Hara) of Toast Trusts Stable and US-based Singaporean bloodstock agent Melvyn Ezekiel of Kadima Stable.
