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Last year around this time, Chase Me was rising from obscurity with eye-catching runs in the first two Legs of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge before exploding away to a career-defining runaway win in the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m).
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
One year on, he is trying to beat oblivion again. On Tuesday morning, the now five-going-on-six gelding, who has not raced since he backed up within two weeks of the Derby win to capture the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy (1800m), stepped out for his second Kranji barrier trial.
Carrying a clear surplus of girth, the son of Stormy Creek was sluggish at the start before running fourth, ironically beaten by about four lengths by the same horse he gave an eight-length hiding in the Derby, Deep Pockets.
Ridden by his Derby-winning partner Joao Moreira, Chase Me began awkwardly to be a clear last before circling the field from the 700m, momentarily looking to have the trial all parcelled up at the top of the straight. But despite Moreira’s urgings, his condition blew up in the final furlong, as he closed off with sectionals that were obviously a far cry from the blinding acceleration that took many by surprise in the Derby, including his trainer Desmond Koh.
But the Singaporean was still trying to put a positive spin to his ward’s comeback trail in light of his first barrier trial on June 6 when he was badly tailed off with Koh’s apprentice Tengku Rehaizat aboard.
“It’s at least better than his first trial when he was beaten out of sight. He just didn’t go a yard then,” said the US-trained conditioner before adding on a lighter note: “It was like Mr Invincible has turned into Mr Invisible!
“But I’m happy with his progress considering he’s been away for nearly a year. He’s coming along nice and steady, but he’s still big and heavy.
“We’ve still got some work to do with him before he can race, which I hope will be in August. It’ll probably be something like a 1400m Kranji Stakes A race, just to get the mileage back in him.”
Chase Me was arguably last season’s “rags-to-riches” story. Up until the beginning of last year, the New Zealand-bred was branded mainly as an honest if not unspectacular Class 4 four-time winner, who suddenly became an overnight sensation after he left his four-year-old rivals chasing shadows in the $1.15 million Derby last July. When he won the Chairman’s Trophy two weeks later, incidentally breaking the $1 million mark in earnings, the superlatives were abounding even more.
But it all went pear-shaped after Chase Me hurt himself in a box incident. Though Koh nursed him back to fitness, his comeback race in the Group 1 Panasonic Kranji Mile two months later never eventuated as he went amiss again (lameness) and has been sidelined since.
“He went straight to the spelling station and has been there for almost six months. It’s only in the last two months that I brought him back,” said Koh who ranks Chase Me as the best horse he has trained since he began training at Kranji in 2004.
“He only had a slight injury, but he’s got leg issues that needed to be addressed. These niggles are behind him now and I’m keeping my fingers crossed we can get him back.
“Depending on how he goes first-up, I will then discuss with the owners (Super Trio Stable) what will be the next step with him.”
Moreira said the slow start cost Chase Me a better finish in Tuesday’s trial, but was overall happy with his run.
“He didn’t jump that good, but when the other horse in front of us shifted out, I had to grab his mouth, and that’s when he threw his head and lost ground,” explained the Brazilian jockey.
“He was four lengths behind the lead and we had to cover ground to draw level with the other horses. He finished off well in the last 300m but he got tired in the end.
“It was still a nice good gallop, and he can only improve on that. Action-wise, he felt the same way as before, but he’s definitely not 100% fit.”
Just like Koh, Moreira was exercising caution regarding Chase Me’s future given he was a race-to-race proposition after his protracted absence from racing.
“Because he’s a long-distance horse, he will need many runs before he reaches his peak,” said Moreira of his only Singapore Derby winner thus far.
“I’m not saying I’m not confident he’ll win again one day, but being a long-distance horse just makes it tougher."