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Argentinian-bred two-year-old Easy Money may have shown vast improvement at his last-start shock $101 win, but trainer Tan Hor Khoon still cautioned he needed to raise his game further in order to be in with a shout in Sunday’s $200,000 Group 3 Juvenile Championship (1200m).
Photo by Racing and Sports
After three inconspicuous runs in three Legs of the Singapore Golden Horseshoe series including the finale, the Group 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (1200m) won by top two-year-old War Affair on May 17, Easy Money suddenly hit his straps when he raced away a convincing winner in a two-year-old race over 1200m on turf on June 23.
Though surprised by the way the son of Johannesburg attacked the line despite coursing out three wide, Tan said he had half-expected a forward showing after he handled the turf better when seventh in the Aushorse Golden Horseshoe compared to his previous two runs on Polytrack.
But with the likes of War Affair, the unbeaten Desert Fox (two from two), and other exciting youngsters such as Peace No War, Rappor, Silver Dollar and Mexborough Boy in the line-up, Tan knows his protégé has the job ahead, even if he clocked a good time in the Aushorse Golden Horseshoe and finished ahead of Peace No War (8th) and Rappor (11th).
“I liked the way he won at his last start. It confirmed the improvement he made after he first raced on turf,” said Tan.
“But even when he got beaten in the three-year-old race (Aushorse Golden Horseshoe) race, his timing was the best then. He broke 1min 10secs for the 1200m while his timing over the same trip was slower (1min 11.3secs) when he won.
“That is my main concern, more so when he is meeting much better two-year-olds this Sunday. It won’t be easy, but my horse has maintained his form and I think he has improved a few lengths since his last win.
“If he gets a good draw, you never know. Sam (Subian) has ridden him at all his starts and knows him very well.”
The Malaysian jockey confirmed that Easy Money has trained on since his last win, but does not beat around the bush about any hope of an upset.
“His chances are very slim. He won in a slow time against much easier opposition,” said Sam whose six wins this year were all supplied by Tan.
“But he’s in good shape. I ride him in trackwork and he seems to have copped his work very well.
“He’s still a bit temperamental. I need to talk a lot to him and then only, he will settle down.”
Easy Money is raced by the Happy Song Stable, who is known for its penchant for Argentinian-breds, the bulk of which are trained by Michael Clements. Besides Easy Money, they also have an unraced two-year-old Sing A Song (x Not For Sale) with Tan and recently moved Grand Arrival (x Pure Prize) from the Clements yard where he scored four wins from 19 starts, both being Argentinian-breds as well.
The Juvenile Championship is the second of only two feature two-year-old races in Singapore and has been staged since 2002 while the Aushorse Golden Horseshoe was only launched in 2011. That year, Mr Big won both races and remains the only horse to have completed the double.