Lucky Magic ready to spellbind again
Trainer Winson Cheng Han Yong's dual Group 1 winner showed he clearly had the credentials to flex his muscles in a big race.
Ridden by Shafiq Rizuan, the son of Mendelssohn jumped on terms and settled rather comfortably into fourth spot despite having to clear a disadvantaged outside chute.
Up in front and on a track rated good, Mega Blaze, Zero Five Six and Lim's Craft fought for the lead.
Rounding the turn which brought the field to the top of the home stretch and Shafiq still had Lucky Magic on a tight rein.
But, with slightly more than a furlong to travel, the complexion of the trial changed completely.
Shafiq clicked his mount into action and, like a bullet from a shotgun, Lucky Magic was off and gone.
He went through the front runners like a hot knife through butter and at the finish, he had put three parts of a length between himself and the chasing pack, led by Lim's Craft and Zero Five Six.
But it was all about Lucky Magic, who clocked an impressive 59.64sec for the 1,000m.
Undoubtedly one of the stars currently residing at Sungai Besi, he has to-date won seven races going back to June 2, 2024, highlighted by the Group 1 Penang Gold Cup (2,000m) in December and Group 1 Perak Derby (2,000m) in March.
Last time at Penang's farewell meeting on May 31, the four-year-old carried stable confidence and duly obliged when coming off third spot at the 800m mark to win a Special Rapid Stakes A race over 1,300m, which, slated as Race 7 of the seven-race programme, was the last race ever staged in Penang.
The proven middle-distance performer should be even better when tackling the 1,600m on July 20.
Another notable trend of his is to string together his victories.
After racking up a race-to-race double on Oct 6 and 27, he then weaved a treble on Dec 29, Jan 31 and March 2, bookending the haul with his two Group 1 successes.
The inaugural Selangor Mile - to be Malaysia's richest four-year-old in history at a purse of RM1 million (S$301,000) - on July 20 is now next in Lucky Magic's crosshairs.
Hats off to runner-up Lim's Craft, who has been a luckless customer at his last six outings.
He took fourth on March 23 and April 12. Following a sixth to Platinum Glory on May 25, he ran third at his last two starts on June 7.
A veteran of 10 wins from 75 starts, the Smart Missile nine-year-old can still raise a gallop, and could surprise at his next start.
Another one from the trials who bears watching is Witnessimpact, who alongside former stablemate Antipodean, took Malaysia by storm for trainer Simon Dunderdale at the end of last year.
A winner of four-from-four at his initial Malaysian campaign, the Victorian import has failed to recapture the same shine in 2025, but his win in the third hit-out of the morning - the first of two on sand - was encouraging.
Thriving on the alternative surface, he made all for jockey Uzair Sharudin to win by six lengths.
His time of 1min 0.24sec for that run on the sand was extremely commendable as Kim Empire, who won the next trial on the sand, clocked 1:02.18 when beating Elite Boy by a head.
The Star Witness five-year-old has just moved to Ooi Chin Chin's barn following a string of disappointing runs.
He did open his 2025 campaign - all in Kuala Lumpur - in style, leading all the way in a Supreme A (1,200m) at Sungai Besi on Jan 12.
But after he ran second to Noah Khan in a 1,200m sprint on Feb 23, his form took a dive and the best he could manage for his next four starts was a fifth placing in a Class 2 (1,020m) race on June 15.
Five wins from 12 starts is no small matter. So keep Witnessimpact on your radar, he could get his groove back.
brian@sph.com.sg
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Lucky Magic ready to spellbind again
Down to contest the rich Selangor Mile, Lucky Magic was put through his paces at the July 8 trials. Trainer Winson Cheng Han Yong's dual Group 1 winner showed he clearly had the credentials to flex his muscles in a big race. Ridden by Shafiq Rizuan, the son of Mendelssohn jumped on terms and settled rather comfortably into fourth spot despite having to clear a disadvantaged outside chute. Up in front and on a track rated good, Mega Blaze, Zero Five Six and Lim's Craft fought for the lead. Rounding the turn which brought the field to the top of the home stretch and Shafiq still had Lucky Magic on a tight rein. But, with slightly more than a furlong to travel, the complexion of the trial changed completely. Shafiq clicked his mount into action and, like a bullet from a shotgun, Lucky Magic was off and gone. He went through the front runners like a hot knife through butter and at the finish, he had put three parts of a length between himself and the chasing pack, led by Lim's Craft and Zero Five Six. But it was all about Lucky Magic, who clocked an impressive 59.64sec for the 1,000m. Undoubtedly one of the stars currently residing at Sungai Besi, he has to-date won seven races going back to June 2, 2024, highlighted by the Group 1 Penang Gold Cup (2,000m) in December and Group 1 Perak Derby (2,000m) in March. Last time at Penang's farewell meeting on May 31, the four-year-old carried stable confidence and duly obliged when coming off third spot at the 800m mark to win a Special Rapid Stakes A race over 1,300m, which, slated as Race 7 of the seven-race programme, was the last race ever staged in Penang. The proven middle-distance performer should be even better when tackling the 1,600m on July 20. Another notable trend of his is to string together his victories. After racking up a race-to-race double on Oct 6 and 27, he then weaved a treble on Dec 29, Jan 31 and March 2, bookending the haul with his two Group 1 successes. The inaugural Selangor Mile - to be Malaysia's richest four-year-old in history at a purse of RM1 million (S$301,000) - on July 20 is now next in Lucky Magic's crosshairs. Hats off to runner-up Lim's Craft, who has been a luckless customer at his last six outings. He took fourth on March 23 and April 12. Following a sixth to Platinum Glory on May 25, he ran third at his last two starts on June 7. A veteran of 10 wins from 75 starts, the Smart Missile nine-year-old can still raise a gallop, and could surprise at his next start. Another one from the trials who bears watching is Witnessimpact, who alongside former stablemate Antipodean, took Malaysia by storm for trainer Simon Dunderdale at the end of last year. A winner of four-from-four at his initial Malaysian campaign, the Victorian import has failed to recapture the same shine in 2025, but his win in the third hit-out of the morning - the first of two on sand - was encouraging. Thriving on the alternative surface, he made all for jockey Uzair Sharudin to win by six lengths. His time of 1min 0.24sec for that run on the sand was extremely commendable as Kim Empire, who won the next trial on the sand, clocked 1:02.18 when beating Elite Boy by a head. The Star Witness five-year-old has just moved to Ooi Chin Chin's barn following a string of disappointing runs. He did open his 2025 campaign - all in Kuala Lumpur - in style, leading all the way in a Supreme A (1,200m) at Sungai Besi on Jan 12. But after he ran second to Noah Khan in a 1,200m sprint on Feb 23, his form took a dive and the best he could manage for his next four starts was a fifth placing in a Class 2 (1,020m) race on June 15. Five wins from 12 starts is no small matter. So keep Witnessimpact on your radar, he could get his groove back. brian@
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