Following numerous months of retraining and accumulative rides in barrier trials, senior jockey M Hanif and three kilogram claiming apprentices I Firdzriel and AR Aiman return to replenish the riding stocks at the Perak Turf Club meeting this Saturday with the eight-race card commencing at 1.45pm.
The claim for Firdzriel could prove beneficial for his master Stephen Cook who saddles SUCCESS STREEET, a genuine chance to win the 1600m Class 5 contest (Race 1). An eight-time winner over the distance, the ten-year-old gelding remains competitive at this level, especially dropping back to the “B” division. MASTER JIANGMEN is a galloper which does tend to mix his form and punters got it right when he was heavily backed before duly saluting by 5.25L here a fortnight ago from barrier ten. He will take beating again despite the 1.5kg rise.
After three runs for the Kevin Coetzee stable, MICHIKAWA should be primed to break the nine-month winning drought in the other division of the 1600m Class 5 event (Race 2). Although safely held at his most recent start, the seven-year-old is capable of standing up on best form as he descends to a winnable rating. The gelding will go up against an inform BOSS HENG HENG which goes up 2.5kg from his win here at the last meeting and is likely to start favourite. MICHIKAWA did finish 4th behind BOSS HENG HENG that day but the result could be reversed with the weight differential.
The 1000m Restricted Maiden has only attracted six acceptors with five two-year-olds making their debuts. The Brian Dean trained stable mates AUTHORITY and THIEN MA along with the Kevin Coetzee prepared O THRYLOS have been the standouts so far as future potential is concerned. It is difficult to line them up under race conditions presently but it will be interesting to follow their career paths commencing on Saturday. The only horse with race experience is three-year-old SKY HIGH which has struggled in three runs and will give away at least 7.5kg under Weight For Age conditions.
BRANDENBURG and WILAMARA clashed in the Cosmo C contest here a fortnight ago and both will head the weights in the 1200m Class 4A (Race 6). Former New Zealand performer WILAMARA scored once in eleven starts on the Shaky Isles and came within a nose of doubling the win tally on his Malaysian debut. Completely unwanted in the betting markets, the four-year-old mare produced a sharp sprint to fall narrowly short and will benefit second up come Saturday. BRANDENBURG, which finished 4th in that same race won by Sweet Love, has already got the runs on the board locally with six wins and six placings from twenty-three starts. The four-year-old entire broke through for trainer Stephen Cook over this track and distance back in March and is due to strike.
