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Last year’s Emirates Singapore Derby winner Chase Me made a reappearance on the racetrack on Thursday morning in a 1000m barrier trial.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
Ridden by apprentice Tengku Rehaizat, the Desmond Koh-trained gelding finished at the tail of the field in the trial behind Hammer Down, ridden by Joao Moreira.
It was Chase Me’s first public appearance since winning the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy over 1800m last July which followed the demolition job he did on the opposition in winning the Derby from Deep Pockets by eight lengths two weeks previously.
Koh said Chase Me had been sidelined with a leg injury and had been given a long, slow and steady build-up for a return to the stage where he was ready to trial on Thursday.
Two horses broke away from the remaining four gallopers in the six horse trial with Chase Me sitting the widest of those four.
Turning for home Rehaizat sat quietly on Chase Me and he eventually tailed out in the straight, finishing eight lengths behind the second-last horse.
“Today was his first trial back and it was expected he would trial that way,” said Koh. “In the first part of the trial he showed interest but then he ran out of steam.
“I said to the rider that when you feel him running out of steam then to just let him cruise home. He needs to build up his stamina and that will happen when we can get some more mileage into his legs and being a stayer he will naturally build up that stamina.
“He was up in his weight today so he will take another couple of trials to burn off a bit of fat.
“We are in no hurry to get him back to the races. I don’t have a race picked out for him just yet.
“We’ll just get him back to some sort of fitness before worrying about a race for him.”
By Storm Creek from Cartier Gold, the New Zealand-bred five-year-old has won seven of his 24 starts for owners Super Trio Stable and accumulated just shy of $1.1 million prizemoney.