Malaysia’s highest-rated galloper PLATINUM EMPEROR will clash with rising star FORTUNE TREE when they go head-to-head in the 1600m Group 1 Coronation Cup at Ipoh on Sunday.
FORTUNE TREE has risen to new heights since finishing fifth in this race last year and is on track for a clean sweep of the Selangor Triple Crown Series. His Selangor Gold Cup victory in September over BANKER’S HONOR and BANKER’S FIRST was the gelding’s second Group success of the season, and he appears well placed to continue his winning ways.
PLATINUM EMPEROR is a seasoned campaigner, with his impressive victory in the NZB Open Championship a recent highlight. The seven-year-old pulled up with respiratory distress in the Selangor Cup, but he should still command plenty of respect in the RM250,000 feature.
Talented five-year-old FORTUNE RISING appears on target to chalk up his sixth career win in the RM100,000 Singapore Pools Trophy this Sunday.
Boasting an imposing record of five wins and two seconds from seven starts, FORTUNE RISING produced arguably the highlight of his career when scoring an impressive victory in the Listed Trinity Selangor Silver back in July.
FORTUNE RISING finished runner-up to Coronation Cup aspirant BANKER’S FIRST in the Listed Charity Cup on September 20, his only previous appearance at Ipoh. However, the HY Cheng-trained performer has since reversed the result on that rival in a 1200m Class 1 contest on his home circuit last start and should prove hard to beat again this weekend.
