Another Malaysia racing season draws to a close with a marathon twelve race program to be conducted at the Perak Turf Club this Sunday commencing at 12.30pm. It is also a challenging card for punters, especially in the Class 5 events. However, a couple of gallopers engaged in the lower classes are aiming for winning hat tricks and both are genuine chances of achieving that feat in their respective contests.
THUNDERGOD took several runs to strike back after demotion from Class 4 and has delivered two successive wins for trainer Kevin Coetzee. The winning margin for both performances was 2.25 lengths over the mile in soft going and if the rain arrives prior to the second division of the 1600m Class 5B which is Race 2, the gelding’s chances will be enhanced.
Another galloper aiming for three on the bounce is GOLDEN CUP, engaged in the 1200m Class 5A (Race 5). Trainer T Asogan is coming off a season best 32 winners for the year striking at a respectable 14.2% and GOLDEN CUP has scored twice in six runs for the stable. The seven-year-old was able to lead throughout on both occasions over 1400m, scoring by a nose on November 16 before a comfortable 5.5 length victory at the last meeting on December 6 and is another which relishes the wet going. Despite the 4kg weight rise he may take some beating again.
The high-grade race for the day is the 1200m Enrich Stakes A contest (Race 4) and the Trips D Stable will be well represented with two winning chances in the form of GROOVY and NO MORE DELAY. GROOVY, prepared by Lawson Moy, has been racing well against the top graders in Selangor since his effortless 6.25L win here on October 4 and is a four-time winner over the trip. The Wayne Lim trained NO MORE DELAY is yet to miss a placing in five runs at Ipoh which includes one win recorded just over twelve months ago in Clas 4 company. His only win for the year so far was a Class 3 contest on his home track back in June, scoring at the luxurious odds of RM 287 for the win. The seven-year-old’s best performance since then was his third placing in the G1 Ipoh Gold Vase in July and has maintained solid form in three starts this preparation. SUPERB LUCK is a trifecta chance in this race following his third placing in a Cosmo C here three weeks ago and the booking of Troy See to ride is a plus also.
THUNDER SPIRIT and FOUNTAIN OF FAME finished 2nd and 3rd respectively in the race won by Superya at the last meeting and the pair are set to clash again in the 1400m Class 4B (Race 11). THUNDER SPIRIT has only scored once from twenty starts in Malaysia but deserves a win following four successive seconds and should prove hard to beat. The seven-year-old has had to overcome wide draws in recent starts but from barrier two on Sunday, he may finally break through. FOUNTAIN OF FAME lowered the colours of THUNDER SPIRIT back in October, scoring by six lengths and is a chance to repeat the dose with the 57kg after the A Suriya claim. DAYLIGHT picked up a minor feature at Ipoh earlier this season and could provide the value.
TALKINGTALKINGGURU is in career best form as he targets five successive wins in the 1400m Class 4A (Race 12). The five-year-old arrived as an eighteen-start maiden from Singapore but chalked up a couple of wins for trainer Brian Dean prior to joining the stables of Kevin Coetzee back in May where he’s won five times from eleven starts for the camp, all up making it seven wins from eighteen runs in the country. The gelding will strike a handy field however with the likes of seasoned campaigner SOUSUI, which is coming off an unplaced run in the G1 Piala Emas Sultan Selangor and has won four times this year. SACRED COMMAND has won two from three on the Ipoh circuit and can easily bounce back from his recent failure when unplaced as a beaten favourite behind Superya over 1600m.
