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With August originally logged in as the ideal comeback date for Singapore Derby winner Chase Me, many were surprised to see his name heading the nominations list for a Kranji Stakes A race over 1200m on turf this Friday.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
Unsighted at the races since landing the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy (1800m) on July 29, 2012, two weeks after streeting his rivals in the Group 1 Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m), Chase Me has slowly been rebuilding his fitness level, with two barrier trials under his belt. But a distant last at the first and a moderate fourth last week suggested he still needed to round off some rough edges.
Even trainer Desmond Koh said after the second barrier trial that the son of Storm Creek was still some way off his peak, and could use some more hit-outs to shed the bulk he has put on during his 11-month break due to leg issues, which Koh said were now behind him.
But the Singaporean conditioner has changed tack and has now decided there was not much point staying in a box until August.
“Nothing beats a real race to put the fitness back on a horse,” said Koh. “I could have trialled him more, but I thought I might as well just race him to knock him back in shape. All he needs is the mileage and I think he’s fit enough to have his first start.
“He’s never won over 1200m and I don’t expect him to do it this Friday. But we had to start somewhere and that race will tell me where he stands so I can map out his next races.”
Chase Me actually lived up to his name early in his Kranji career, showing plenty of speed to lead the way at his first two starts in 1200m races, before being caught late, including his debut third to 2012 KrisFlyer International Sprint winner Ato in October 2010. But he has since developed into a middle-distance performer and with proven sprinters like Makkura, Goal Keeper and Masthead in the line-up, he will probably be cutting a lone figure at the back on Friday night.
Koh has not fashioned any specific campaign for Chase Me, preferring to just take each race as it comes, but he sure is excited about the return to racing of the horse who catapulted him to his biggest claim to fame in his 10-year-long training career.
In order to make Chase Me’s first-up run as untaxing as possible, Koh has even bypassed his Derby and Chairman’s Trophy-winning partner Joao Moreira in favour of his two-kilo claimer Tengku Rehaizat just to shave some weight off the top impost of 59.5kg.
Tengku has another major assignment on his plate on Sunday - the Group 1 ride for Koh aboard First Scoop in the $500,000 Patron’s Bowl (1600m), the second Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, in which Koh is also saddling City Lad, to be ridden by jockey Soo Khoon Beng.
While City Lad, who incidentally won his barrier trial on Tuesday morning, ran in the first Leg, the Group 2 Stewards’ Cup (1400m) with Tengku aboard, finishing fifth to Speedy Cat, First Scoop will be at his first run in the series.
“I thought why not chuck First Scoop in. It’ll be a big ask, but if he goes well, he may then go for the Derby,” said Koh of the Faltaat four-year-old who has not quite recaptured the form shown at his impressive three-in-a-row, but who has always been niggled by hoof issues.
“As for City Lad, I don’t think he will go for the Derby regardless of how he runs on Sunday. I trialled him this morning as his work has been interrupted by the haze and it's been three weeks since his last run (Stewards' Cup).
“He won a nice trial. His run in the Stewards’ Cup was not too bad considering he always pulls like a train.
“If he doesn’t pull too hard in the Patron’s Bowl and can conserve his energy, he may run on towards the end, but it’s a tough field.”