3 minute read
A fourth straight Group 1 Lion City Cup is Rocket Man's for the taking following an impressive barrier trial on Thursday morning.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
The champion sprinter – a winner of the Singapore's richest domestic local Group 1 sprint race in 2009, 2010 and 2011 – scored a crushing eight-and-a-quarter length win and did it easily.
Not exposed to any great quality in the 1000m trial, Rocket Man left those watching that he had taken no harm from his trip to Dubai, running the 1000m in 1 min 00.3 secs, the last 600m in 34.9 secs and the last 200m in 11.7 secs on the Polytrack.
Rocket Man emerged from quarantine on Wednesday following his return from Dubai where he had finished second to Krypton Factor in the Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen on March 31 and trainer Patrick Shaw certainly wasted no time in getting the gelding back on track in preparation for the Group 1 $500,000 Lion City Cup over 1200m on April 29.
While still in quarantine Rocket Man was able to work before the track opened for mainstream work and Shaw took advantage of giving the six-year-old a hit-out on the uphill track at the back of the course.
Rocket Man certainly looked a picture of health as he paraded before his trial and he was certainly eager to go about his work.
He jumped so fast that he almost left jockey Barend Vorster behind and quickly had established a three length lead over his rivals in the first 50m of the trial.
Vorster had Rocket Man under a stranglehold for much of the 1000m trial and the gelding was certainly keen to go faster.
“He feels super,” was Vorster's comment on dismounting. “You couldn't ask for anything else from him.
“He did it so easily and hasn't taken any harm from the trip to Dubai.”
Shaw was equally impressed by the trial, describing it as the perfect hit-out for next week's Lion City Cup.
“We just wanted a nice easy trial for him and that is what he had,” said Shaw.
“He's been eating well and he's been holding his condition well and he looks well in the coat.
“I don't think he needs much more as he came back here pretty fit.
“It has been a bit of a rush to get him ready for this race all the same. There has been one less week this time around but I'm pretty happy with where he is at.”
Meanwhile the Shaw stable has an interesting newcomer contesting the $125,000 Open Handicap over 1100m on the Polytrack on Friday night.
Former Australian galloper Eclair Mystic makes his debut in Singapore after 11 starts in Victoria under the care of Robert Smerdon which resulted in the gelding winning on six occasions and registering a further three minor placings for stakemoney of almost A$280,000.
Eclair Mystic goes into Friday's contest with two trials under the belt, including a half-length victory over 1000m on April 12.
But Shaw believes the son of Stratum will benefit from the outing and will also appreciate getting out over a bit more ground.
“To my eye he looks more like a 1400m to mile (1600m) type of horse,” said Shaw.
“In his trials he showed that he's not a jump out and blitz type of horse and the way he has been working suggest he wants more ground as well.
“Still he might be one of those horses that will switch on come race day which I've seen happen in horses before.”
With regular stable jockey Vorster riding stablemate My Son, Shaw elected for the services of apprentice Shafiq Rizuan.
“He's not 100% fit at this stage so I was happy to put a claimer on him,” said Shaw.
“Shafiq is a nice quiet sort of rider and what I want to see from this horse is him running on at the finish.”