Debut winner Fadaboy leads 1-2 for Logan

Fadaboy (Blake Shinn, on the inside) holds off stablemate Luxury Brand (Hakim Kamaruddin) to win on debut on Sunday. Photo: STC

By Sharon Zhang, Singapore Turf Club

Newcomer Fadaboy showed heaps of promise to nose out stablemate Luxury Brand to score on debut for trainer Donna Logan on Sunday.

It is not uncommon to see a trainer get a forecast in a race, but the cherry on the top was to get good results for both new clients in Singapore.

Donning the red and yellow-striped, blue sleeved silks of the Chris Waller-trained Australian champion galloper Nature Strip, Fadaboy had big horseshoes to fill at his Singapore debut, but he showed the rest who was the boss right from the start.

Following a smart jump from gate six, the three-year-old son of Deep Field was bustled up to the front by jockey Blake Shinn while his two-year-old stablemate Luxury Brand (Hakim Kamaruddin) settled outside his girth.

Legacy Reign (Shafrizal Saleh) looked a threat upon cornering, but he dropped off in the straight, leaving Luxury Brand as the sole challenger to gun the leader down.

With only 49kgs on his back (one-kilo claim off his 50kgs load from Hakim), Luxury Brand started to close in at the 150m, but Fadaboy ($47) showed unwavering determination to win.

The grey gelding held on by a nose to score on debut, no doubt a welcomed result for his New Zealand businessman owner Patrick Harrison and his Nature Strip syndicate members.

Owned by the Bax Racing syndicate led by ex-New Zealand supermodel Kylie Bax, Luxury Brand (x Charm Spirit) lost no marks in defeat at his first start.

Favourite Ejaz (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) ran home late to finish third another two-and-a-quarter lengths away, denying Prioritize (Vlad Duric) a podium finish by a short head.

The winning time was 1min 9.96secs for the $75,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1200m on the Long Course.

Logan said Fadaboy’s merit was even greater given the eight-kilo pull between her two charges.

“Both the ‘Nature Strip’ team and the Kylie Bax team are my first-time clients here in Singapore, so I’m very happy to run first and second for them,” said the Kiwi conditioner.

“There were some pressure going in with two new horses competing for two new clients together, but we’ve gotten a perfect result.

“They would have been watching the race on TV and would be glad with the results.

“I thought Fadaboy might have needed this run first-up to improve, and with no weight on his back, Luxury Brand could probably pick him up, but tried as he might, he couldn’t get to him.

“The jockey on top is important. The man on top (Shinn) did a good job.”

As an apprentice jockey who kicked off his career in Victoria 19 years ago, Shinn had won for the connections before but was glad to celebrate his first winner for Logan.

“I have ridden winners in these colours many years ago when I was a young apprentice (jockey) back in Victoria riding for (trainer) Robert Smerdon, but I couldn’t wish for a better start for this horse,” said the Australian jockey who went on to bag a treble with Miracle and The August in the $30,000 Class 5 Division 1 race (1200m) and $70,000 Class 3 Division 1 race (1200m) respectively (see later report).

“There’s so many upsides to him but his manners won it at the start.

“He jumped well and put himself in front naturally. I was able to control the race and that was the telling factor in the end.

“He settled nice, did everything right and kicked really smoothly too.

“I wasn’t brimming with confidence before the race because I thought based off his latest trial and where he is at in his preparation, he still has loads of improvement.

“So to win today, it might be an indication that he’s a progressive horse.

“He’s also giving eight kilos to the second horse (Luxury Brand) and he’s promising as well, so it’s a thrill to win on this horse and in these colours for Donna in Singapore.”

After opening his account on debut, Fadaboy took home his first pay cheque of more than $40,000.

Five races later, Logan pulled off a brace after her apprentice jockey Jamil Sarwi got on the scoresheet atop Super Posh in the $30,000 Class 5 Division 2 race over 1000m (see later report).

iRace
Author: iRace