3 minute read
Trainer Desmond Koh is keen to find out if his new Sun galloper Sun Noble can deliver at his Kranji debut in the Class 4 Division 1 race over 1200m on Saturday.
The Singaporean handler has been training horses for Mr Cheng Ting Kong, the principal of the Australian-based Sun Bloodstock empire, for seven years now, celebrating their highest accolade with Order Of The Sun (dead-heat with Best Tothelign) in the Group 3 Colonial Chief Stakes in 2015.
Granted it's not a patch on Mr Cheng's Group 1 Singapore Derby win with Sun Marshal and Lee Freedman in 2019, but the Macau businessman has never stopped backing Koh.
The other horses may have not been world beaters, but they have more than earned their oats with 45 wins between them.
As a new Sun rises, Koh is again full of hope a smart one is waiting in the wings. The Australian track record of the Fastnet Rock four-year-old, who was then known as Noble Fight, certainly fuels his optimism, as well as what he saw on the training tracks.
"Sun Noble is not a bad horse at all. He was with David Hayes in Australia, so he came from one of the best," said Koh who has booked French jockey Marc Lerner for the ride.
"He's been working well, had a few nice quiet trials, and I feel he's ready for his debut.
"I would say he probably wants a bit longer and may still need a couple of warm-up runs.
"Whether he can live up to his Australian form, we'll have to see, but what I've seen so far has been encouraging."
Sun Noble landed with a record of two wins in Victoria, first on the Pakenham synthetic track over 1400m at his maiden win in July 2019.
Then stepped up to metropolitan class at Caulfield and Flemington, he didn't quite handle the rain-affected tracks there, and neither did he quite measure up.
When Hayes brought him back to the provincial circuit, he got right back in the winning frame in a 1200m race at Cranbourne on December 27, 2019. He had two more outings, including a cross-border raid in Sydney, but didn't flatter.
Five other Sun gallopers (not to mention two more with Freedman) will be spread over the remaining 13 races on the card, with Solo Sun arguably the one who can give the Koh-Sun partnership something to cheer about in the $50,000 Class 4 race (1600m), but Koh remained guarded about the So You Think seven-year-old's chances.
"I think the mile might be too short for Solo Sun ," said Koh of the former Chris Waller and two-time Kranji winner, both over 1800m.
"No doubt he ran well at his last start (third to Leatherhead) in a mile race, but he needs 1800m-2000m to be at his best.
"There are a few things going against him as well, like the heavy weight (58.5kgs). That's why I had to use a claiming rider (Zy Nor Azman who claims three), but fingers crossed, he can still run a good race on Saturday."
