24-06-2025
V'Invincible set to flex muscles over longer
V'Invincible's last-start second was full of merit.
One could say he was a "good horse beaten".
On June 15, V'Invincible ran second to a good three-year-old in Trees Of Valinor. The son of I Am Invincible lost by three parts of a length with Troy See doing his best to urge him along.
It came in the wake of V'Invincible having to take third placings at his two previous outings. Trainer Richard Lim and owners from the Vgor Stable could have been beating their chests in anguish.
But they would not be crying over spilt milk. Instead, they would be looking forward to June 29.
V'Invincible will be lining up in a Class 4A event, and he has a few factors in his favour.
He gets in with a handy weight of 54.5kg, the second lowest in the field of 13: just ½ kg more than Legacy Fortune.
The former Singapore galloper will also relish the 1,500m trip. To top it all, he will trot to the start with a good gallop under his belt.
On the morning of June 24, V'Invincible was one of the stars on the training track, clocking 37.9sec for the 600m trip.
Lim, who opened proceedings with Wan Legacy taking out the first race at Sungai Besi on June 22, would have been pleased with V'Invincible.
The strapping six-year-old has two victories to his name. He opened his account in a Class 4 race (1,200m) on the Polytrack at Kranji on Jan 20, 2024, before pulling off his second win in Kuala Lumpur on April 20.
That day, under John Sundradas, V'Invincible came from fifth spot at the 400m to beat the Simon Dunderdale-trained Commander by three parts of a length in a Class 4B contest.
That was run over the 1,300m. He will be even better over the 1,500m.
Elsewhere on that day, keep an eye on Renzo and Witnessimpact.
They came away from their morning workouts looking like they were more than ready to lock horns in the Supreme A race (1,200m) on June 29.
Both runners did not go against the clock, opting instead for some serious cantering on a track which was rated "good".
Set to turn seven on Aug 1, Renzo was transferred to Sharee Hamilton after his last race at Kranji in June 2024.
And with six races won in Singapore when under Ricardo Le Grange, and one win on his Malaysian debut in Penang on March 8, the honest galloper has won seven races to date.
At his last start on May 31 - which was also the farewell meeting held at the Penang Turf Club - the Orpen gelding plodded home a well-beaten fifth in the RS A race (1,300m) won by Lucky Magic.
He is capable of better and it will not surprise to see him romp home a winner on June 29.
As for Witnessimpact, he, too, opted for a spot of cantering, and it would have topped him up sufficiently for the assignment coming up.
A son of Star Witness, the five-year-old has won five races under the care of Dunderdale.
Owned by Foong Ah Weng, Witnessimpact last ran in the Class 2 Korea Racing Authority Trophy race (1,020m) at the Selangor Turf Club on June 15.
For a moment, at the 400m mark, he looked good.
However, he was swamped over the concluding stages and had to settle for fifth behind eventual winner, Filial Dragon.
Witnessimpact came into that race after a 70-day break and would have needed that run.
Watch him. Come June 29, he could reinvent himself as a winner.
Elsewhere on the 12-race meeting, the 3-Year-Old Mile Championship is shaping up to be a hotly-contested event with a total prize money of RM200,000 (S$60,200) up for grabs.
The 1,600m event has attracted 12 entries and, on the morning of June 24, four of the runners strutted their stuff with fast gallops over the 600m.
Trainer Frank Maynard's Duma and Trees Of Valinor ran out the trip in 38.8sec while Tiang Kim Choi's Defeater clocked 41.8sec for the same journey.
Then, there was Cheval Pegasus. The two-time winner from Jason Ong's yard clocked 39sec.
It would seem the race for the up-and-coming three-year-old milers can be a mouth-watering clash, with the winner being promised bragging rights.
brian@
