Latest news with #OpenMaiden
New Paper
5 days ago
- Sport
- New Paper
Herman Brown back a winner after 12 years
One of South Africa's most popular trainers, and certainly, one of the better-known ones in Singapore, has made a winning comeback after 12 years off the scene - Herman Brown. Remarkably, The Night Ferry was the horseman's first runner since 2012 in Meydan, Dubai, when he closed the chapter on an outstanding training career, both on South African soil and internationally. Lined up in an Open Maiden race (1,600m) at Kenilworth on July 22, The Night Ferry, who was previously trained by Justin Snaith, led from start to finish under jockey Grant van Niekerk. "It's a great start," said Brown. "I haven't had a runner in 12 years - I was nervous. "I must have had 25,000 runners in my career by now, but this one felt different. "Grant rode a lovely race. He's not an easy horse to ride, but he outstayed them." "Outstaying" is one word who would fit one of the best horses he ever trained like a glove - Jay Peg. The globetrotter took no prisoners in the Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup (2,000m) in May 2008, two months after he defied a slipped saddle to land the Group 1 Dubai Duty Free (1,800m, now Dubai Turf) at the old Nad Al Sheba track. He was ridden on both occasions by now-retired champion jockey Anton Marcus, younger brother of former Kranji trainer Basil, who originally prepared Jay Peg. Brown tried to go back-to-back the following year, but a dehydrated Jay Peg could not land the same blow, tailing off badly after taking up his customary leading role to run a long last to French raider Gloria De Campeao. Undeterred, Brown had one more shot at that balmy Kranji night in May two years later, this time hitting paydirt when Gitano Hernando handed him a second SIA Cup triumph in 2011. Spurred on by his victorious offshore raids, Brown soon set up a satellite stable in Dubai where he did not quite reach the same lofty heights as his more famous compatriot Mike de Kock, but still achieved plenty of acclaim. However, with the ever-increasing complexities of exporting horses from South Africa since the African horse sickness outbreak in 2010, Brown decided to hand in his licence in 2013. It is therefore no coincidence that his training comeback was timed around South Africa's revised export protocols in 2024, whereby horses can be sent directly to Europe for the first time in 14 years. Brown will favour quality over quantity for a start and has based himself in Philippi in Cape Town. "I'm starting from the bottom up with a small string, but things are going well," he said. Brown, whose father Herman Brown Sr was also a famous South African trainer and died in 2023 at the age of 93, has not plotted any specific path, but clearly would like to train more than the current string of six horses in his barn. "I have bought 15 yearlings at various sales. They will be coming into the yard towards the end of the year, I look forward to that," said the third-generation trainer. "I'm hoping to get some older horses to compete with, to get momentum going. I'm confident that will happen when my young runners start performing." Given Brown's wealth of experience on both the local and global stage, South African racing, especially around the Cape, looks all poised to benefit from his return from retirement. manyan@
New Paper
05-06-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
The Wild Goal all set to score
Former Kranji trainers Jason Ong and Richard Lim may well have another two potential winners going on the barrier trials at Sungai Besi on June 4. The current runaway leader in the trainers' premiership with 43 winners, Ong sent out The Wild Goal to take the opener while Storm Titan took the third for Lim, who sits sixth on 15 after saddling a treble on June 1. Both impressed with their performances. The Wild Goal (Akmazani Mazuki), who beat Hypeman (Marc Lerner) by a length, would be remembered for breaking the minute mark for the 1,000m dash on grass. He stopped the clock at an impressive 59.82 seconds. Not to be outdone, Storm Titan (Uzair Sharudin), though unable to come under the minute mark, did catch the eye with a five-length romp. Here is how the scenes unfolded. In Trial No. 1, when the starter sent them off, the The Wild Goal scooted away and quickly put a length between himself and the chasing pack, led by the Simon Dunderdale-trained Hypeman, with the Sharee Hamilton-trained Sweet N Sour holding down third. Keeping up a strong gallop, The Wild Goal refused to be intimidated by Hypeman and when push came to shove, he dug in to win by a length. Formerly known as Lucky Goal when racing at Kranji where he won two races, The Wild Goal made himself known to Malaysian racing fans when winning a Class 4 (B) race over the 1,020m on March 23. It was an Ong Stable queue-up with Outfit dropping in for second, some 4½ lengths away. While the margin was impressive, The Wild Goal has yet to put together another victory. Indeed, the best the Shalaa four-year-old could do in four subsequent starts was a second-place finish behind Baby Twins on April 24. But with Ong's stable churning out winners like water from a tap, we could see The Wild One salute sooner rather than later. As for Storm Titan, that win was his third victory from as many barrier trials going back to May 14 when he won in a time of 1min 1.64sec. He was at it again on May 27, beating Captain Pegasus by half a length while clocking 1:00.82. And in that latest hit-out, the unraced Ace High three-year-old led from barrier to box, never allowing his rivals to get a look-in, stopping the clock at 1:00.68. Yes, Storm Titan is getting better with every outing and, when Lim does send him to the races, he is going to be a treat to watch. Then, and also from the morning of June 4, we had Big Business. Schooled by Lim Boon Thong, Big Business was another big winner - coasting in by a massive six lengths in Trial No. 2. Big Business - who was racing with blinkers - was never troubled. He cleared the chute easily and quickly got into stride. The others tried to eat into his lead but he never allowed them to get within swishing distance of his tail. He was unstoppable over the concluding stages and ran away from them to win in a time of 1:00.83 - easing up. Big Business was down to make his grand debut on June 7, but for some medical reason, he will not start in the Open Maiden sprint for which he was nominated. The Shalaa three-year-old was withdrawn on the advice of the club's veterinarians. Watch for the day Lim decides he ticks all the boxes to be sent to the races. He seems to be working towards a decent debut. In the last trial, which was run on sand, Kim Legend was all-conquering. Ridden by track rider Lukman Mohamed, the Nostradamus four-year-old came with a huge run over the last 200m to claim victory. Until then, it appeared like Royal Commission (Nazir Aiman) had it signed, sealed and delivered. But Kim Legend was not to be intimidated. Having just his second trial at Sungai Besi, he swamped the leader to win going away. Trained by Wayne Lim Woei Chet, Kim Legend has had two unplaced outings - one at Ipoh and one at Sungai Besi. Both starts were held in Class 4A company, first over 1,300m before being stepped up to 1,400m. Granted, he did not set the track ablaze, but on his brilliant trial form on June 4, he could be the real deal at his third start. brian@
New Paper
04-06-2025
- General
- New Paper
Gold Medal Rose within a whiff of maiden victory
With Malaysians celebrating the King's birthday on June 1 and, with the revelry flowing into June 2, there was no "official" trackwork at the Sungai Besi racetrack on the usual Tuesday. Of course, the horses who are down to contest the races on June 7 would not have had much of a break and many would have been given fast work. That being the case, it was - understandably and expectedly - rather quiet on the morning of June 4, when the order of the day would have been to keep it simple. So it was, fast gallops were few and far between but, for those at trackside, there was enough speed to whet the appetite. Impressive among them was Gold Medal Rose. The Wrote filly from the stables of Ooi Chin Chin was in a galloping mood and she covered the 600m in a smart time of 38.2sec. Still looking for that elusive first win, Gold Medal Rose will be having her seventh race start in the Open Maiden event over the 1,200m. On the strength of her most recent gallop, she should give her rivals something to think about. The New Zealand-bred is still a three-year-old and her most impressive showing was when she finished a head second to Defeater on debut in a 1,200m sprint way back on Sept 8, 2024. Ooi has since put her through the grinder. He sent her to the races five times where she added money to the kitty by finishing third on two occasions. In addition, she has been to the trials twice this season. Yes, she looks sufficiently topped up for this assignment coming up and it could pay to include her in that list of "horses to follow". Also turning on the style - but not in a sprinting sort of way - was Zero Five Five. The handsome-looking chestnut loosened up with some solid cantering and will come into the action in a Class 4B (1,150m) on June 7, looking primed and poised for a good showing. Prepared by Richard Lines, who pulled off a win with Seson on June 1, Zero Five Five came close to a first Malaysian win in Ipoh on May 11. But he had to be content with second, finding one better in Prince Lonhro. However, make no mistake about it, Zero Five Five knows a thing or two about racing and has a win to show. When based at Flemington before being flown out here, Zero Five Five - then racing as Wirrapanda - won a 1,130m race in Geelong on March 26, 2024. No doubt the Wandjina four-year-old's last-start ninth in a Class 4B (1,400m) back on his home track was a let-down, but on his smart workout, he can bounce back. It could also pay to keep an eye on Navy Seals, who is set to contest the Class 4 (B) race over the 1,700m. Trainer Frank Maynard sent the US Navy Flag four-year-old out for some fast work on June 4 and he came through that 600m sprint in 39.2sec. Already a four-time winner - three of which came when he was under the care of Tan Kah Soon at Kranji - Navy Seals won once for Maynard. That was on April 5 when he showed racing fans at Sungai Besi just how good a stayer he was. That day, when partnered by Nuqman Rozi, he came from near last at the 400m mark to power home for a narrow win over the 2,000m. He goes over 1,700m on June 7 and, while it might seem a tad short, he is in that kind of form which makes all things possible. Maynard can also count on Star Victory, who ran over the 600m in 40sec. The Vancouver six-year-old is still winless in Malaysia, but do not hold it against him. While housed at Kranji under the helm of English trainer James Peters, he posted six wins - over trips ranging between 1,100m and 1,400m. His last win was on Sept 28 when he came with a pounding run over the concluding stages of that 1,200m race to score by half-a-length. That day, he had five-time Singapore champion jockey Manoel Nunes doing the steering. The 1,500m he has to cover on June 7 should be right up his alley and, with the benefit of that solid piece of work, he could be anything he wants to be. brian@
New Paper
06-05-2025
- Sport
- New Paper
Coetzee's team ready to rumble
It was at that last Perak meeting on April 26 that trainer Kevin Coetzee pulled off a winning double. The South African conditioner bookended the show by taking the opener with Bullseye in the Class 5B event (1,600m), before winning the Cosmo C race (1,400m) with Man Of Action in the 10th and last race. He had sent in a team of 20 then. Now, Coetzee has entered another big team of 24 runners for the 10-race meeting in Ipoh on May 11. The 67-year-old handler was a busy man on the morning of May 6 as his team of horses were put through their paces on the training track in Ipoh. Some of them did turn in some good gallops. Bullseye was one of the impressive ones. The Per Incanto eight-year-old would have earned nods of approval when running the 600m in a flashy 39.8sec. The New Zealand galloper could be looking at a race-to-race double. Bullseye recorded his last-start victory in spectacular fashion when he came from a spot in midfield to power home like a speedboat among a bunch of canoeists. He eventually beat Master Jiangmen by ½ length - going away - under Haris Pauzi. Coetzee has entered him in a similar race - another Class 5B over the 1,600m - and he looks primed and ready for the assignment. Also from Coetzee's yard and looking serious on the training track were We Can Do It, Colonel Chief and Magic Player. We Can Do It, who is also owned by Coetzee, ran the 600m in 39.3sec. Still a three-year-old, the son of Heroic Valour looked promising at the trials, but he has yet to post a win in two starts. At his last start in an Open Maiden race (1,300m) on March 15, the Australian gelding beat just one home in a field of seven after being slow to clear the chute. We Can Do It is finding his feet. If he can bring that promising trial form to the Class 5A event (1,600m) on May 11, he might be worth a punt at good odds. Entered in the same race is Colonel Chief, who clocked 37.7sec in his morning gallop. He knows what it takes to win a race, having done it seven times. Like most 10-year-old veterans, the Sebi Halo gelding has been around the block. Formerly known as Elite Remarkable when trained by champion trainer Mark Walker at Kranji, the Argentinian-bred was unplaced in 12 starts before moving to Kuala Lumpur towards the end of 2020. Across the Causeway, Colonel Chief has been prepared by trainers Johnny Lim Boon Thong and Sivan Veerapen, for whom he won four races. He then won one for trainer Frank Maynard before transferring to Coetzee's stable, where he has recorded two wins so far. His last victory came in the Class 5A race (1,600m) in Ipoh on Feb 8. Ridden by Wong Kam Chong, Colonel Chief scored a fighting win, holding off strong challenges from Master Jiangmen and Success Street to win by 1¼ lengths. At his subsequent five runs - all over the mile - he failed to produce another win, but he did add to the pot by finishing third on three occasions. Although he is getting long in the tooth, he still champs at the bit and fights to the finish. As for Magic Player, he did his 600m hit-out in 40.2sec and Coetzee could be quietly confident of a good showing from him in the Class 5B race over the 1,400m on May 11. A seven-year-old son of Dissident, Magic Player has a modest record of two wins, three seconds and 10 thirds from 41 starts. But his last-start second to the much-improved Talkingtalkingguru in the Class 5B race (1,300m) on April 26 was full of merit. He ran a gallant race under 3kg claimer Shiva Ngyanasegaran. His latest training gallop on May 6 does seem to suggest he is holding that condition. With just a light weight of 52.5kg to carry on May 11, he could be worth plenty of thought - especially when you are mapping your strategy for those interesting novelty bets. brian@
