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Trainer Alvin Tan crept ever so closer to a maiden Group 1 success when Speedy Cat took out the opening Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge on Sunday.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
Speedy Cat gave Tan his first ‘Black Type’ success when taking out the Group 3 Merlion Trophy in March and he bettered that when victorious in Sunday’s Group 2 $300,000 Stewards’ Cup over 1400m.
Tan will be hoping Speedy Cat can provide him with that elusive first Group 1 success in the second Leg of the Four-Year-Old Challenge, the $500,000 Patron’s Bowl over 1600m on June 30.
Ridden by Manoel Nunes, Speedy Cat ($34) scored by a head over El Milagro (Danny Beasley) with the favourite Super Easy (Joao Moreira) a neck away third.
Speedy Cat recorded a time of 1 min 21.69 secs for the 1400m journey.
Nunes allowed Speedy Cat plenty of time to find his feet in the early stages of the race having him in the second half of the field on settling down.
El Milagro worked his way to the lead on settling down from Super Easy with Shuttle Man (Corey Brown), Accelarometer (John Powell) and Damo (Barend Vorster) in close attendance.
City Lad (Tengku Rehaizat) had been trapped wide in the early stages and pressed forward to go up into second place coming off the back, allowing Super Easy to slot into a good trailing position.
Turning for home El Milagro dropped off City Lad and Super Easy was into the clear and issuing a challenge. Shuttle Man and Accelarometer were starting to feel the pinch while Nunes had extracted Speedy Cat to the outside in the straight.
Super Easy loomed up to El Milagro with 200m to run but the runner-up refused to concede and Speedy Cat was starting to put in the big strides down the outside.
At the 50m mark anyone of the three could win as they all dug deep, but in the final stanza Speedy Cat dug the deepest to record his biggest success.
After winning his first 12 starts in Singapore, Super Easy first tasted defeat at the hands of Better Life in Group 1 Kranji Mile last October before heading to Hong Kong but this year Speedy Cat has inflicted two defeats on last last year’s Horse of the Year.
Super Easy did turn the tables on Speedy Cat in the Group 1 Lion City Cup, but the 1400m of Sunday’s race was a more suitable assignment.
Speedy Cat was coming into the Stewards’ Cup off an unlucky sixth in the Group 1 KrisFlyer International Sprint over 1200m on May 19.
“His run in the KrisFlyer was very good,” said Tan. “He got checked and the jockey almost fell off, but he got going again.
“This distance was much more suitable for him. I was happy with where he was in the run and he finished off strongly.
“This is the biggest prizemoney that we have won with him and we are now getting closer to a Group 1 win.
“We will now head to the second Leg with him. That race is three weeks away which is perfect for him.
“I am learning all the time with this horse. We will keep him fresh for that race but I am confident that he will have no problems with the distance.”
Nunes went into Sunday’s race feeling confident after the gelding had a luckless run in the KrisFlyer.
“In my heart I think he should have beaten Super Easy in the KrisFlyer,” said Nunes. “He was badly checked and we were lucky not to fall.
“The way he lost ground but then came back I thought we were unlucky not to be in the placings.
“I knew today that the 1400m was a much more suitable trip for him and I believe that he will have no problems with the 1600m.
“He’s more relaxed and more mature now and just keeps getting better and better.
“The more I ride this horse the more I am learning about him. In the Lion City Cup I pushed him to be handy, but that is not the way to ride him.
“Today I just let him find his feet as I know he has a very strong finish. I was always confident of running down the other horses as he had travelled so well in the race.
“He’s a lovely horse and just keeps getting better and better.”
A four-year-old New Zealand-bred by Scaredee Cat from Lane Cove, Speedy Cat has won eight of his 19 starts for Alwin Stable and accumulated more than $750,000 in prizemoney.
Beasley, rider of the runner-up, said El Milagro gave him a great ride throughout.
“He may have looked as though he was over-racing but that’s just him,” said Beasley.
“He’s a horse that you can’t with too much. You just have to let him roll along.
“I could hear a bit of yelling going on behind me at certain stages and I thought I might have pinched it, but it was only in the last stride and-a-half that they got me.
“He ran his heart out.”
Moreira who partnered the favourite Super Easy said he had nothing but admiration for the performance of the entire.
“He was probably the best horse in the race, but he was beaten by the draw,” said Moreira.
“The winner is not a bad horse. He is improving all the time, but unlike us, he had everything in his favour.
“I can only blame the barrier as he had to be used up just that little bit more to get a good spot. He still tried very hard and I’m very proud of him.”