3 minute read

The odds of a certain Joao Moreira ridden and Michael Freedman trained runner not winning again in Singapore this evening are as big as Texas.

Texan Takeover was simply awesome when winning at his first Kranji outing in running good time and dished out a bigger beating than J R Ewing did in Dallas towards his oil men competition!

He had before coming to the Freedman stable raced five times in Australia for then trainer John Sadler.

The big son of Stravinsky that has good natural early speed had won two of his five Victorian starts with a maiden at Donald and a Ratings 68 at Geelong.

Seventeen weeks after his last start in Australia he would decimate a Class Four field on the poly at Kranji under 56.5kg with Moreira atop and score by five lengths.

The time for the 1100m on the all weather was an impressive 1:04.94 and it is no wonder he had them gasping the run home after disputing the pace on the outer.

Tonight in Race Eight, one of two feature Class Three events for S$75K with the other being a mile on the turf and Race Six, he will contest an 1100m again on the poly.

The four-year-old goes up in class but drops 2kg to 54.5kg and has drawn gate ten but I cannot see that as a problem.

He came from barrier nine fresh up and just seems to be able to burn early and sustain it for a long time so therefore putting his rivals under the heat pump.

Moreira as usual had options galore in the field to ride but stays with the Freedman runner, as it must have felt to him that several more wins were in store for the Segenhoe Stud owned sprinter.

Everything is big in Texas but surprisingly it is only the second biggest state in the USA behind Alaska.

No so for the rider and trainer tonight of Texan Takeover with Moreira leading the Kranji riding premiership by several laps and Freedman the training title at the moment by one win in what is shaping as a battle royal.

There are plenty of other runners in the race with sound chances of independence at the post and the blinkered for first time Good Louken will have something cooking from the ace.

His fresh up win in Singapore was a Class Three on the poly over 1100m, when ridden by Moreira, and from gate eight sat close wide before striding up to challenge and led near the line.

He clocked 1:05.43, which puts into perspective just how good a time Texan Takeover clocked in his August romp.

Good Louken also gave Moreira his one hundredth win for 2012 in mid June and fittingly it was trained by an in form Leticia Dragon.

In one other start since Good Louken was beaten on the turf under 58kg in a Kranji Stakes C but back to the all weather tonight you will see the real deal.

The Argentinian bred entire won a poly trial last month for Moreira to show he was back and this adds more weight to him staying with the Freedman four-year-old.

Alan Munro will ride Good Louken and from the inside stall the jump will be the key to their prospects.

Codigo won his first start in Singapore and was impressive too, with the Gerry Harvey owned and Steve Burridge trained gelding winning a Class Four over 1000m in 59 seconds.

He claimed 4kg and the apprentice came from the back on it to bury his rivals down the outer with a kick that suggested more wins are in store if you will excuse the shopping pun!

The support for Codigo, after three unplaced trials, came stampeding in almost like customers through the doors to start an everything half price or must go sale.

No apprentice aboard this evening with Stephen Baster taking the reins at 53kg from gate six and the extra 100m has got to help.

Baster rode it in two of the trials so knows the sprinter well enough.

When he raced in Sydney the then Greg Hickman trained Codigo won twice and both came fresh up so the plunge was even more logical first up at Kranji.

No one ever went broke in hindsight!

Codigo is a half brother to Fontelina (by Testa Rossa) and that three-race winner so far has a Listed success too his name.

Fontelina won fresh up last preparation, so it runs in the family, and beat a good sort in Said Com that has won twice more since and been G1 placed.

The surprise chance tonight is Bombaata as he has enough ability and is also by Stravinsky and a really big sprinter.

He is best fresh and on the poly but it comes down to his health issues having returned as a roarer and sometimes through his sheer size not striding out freely at times.

If you need evidence as to how good and fast Bombaata can be when happy and healthy then a resumption win at 1000m in July last year saw him win by four lengths and clock a blistering 57.80.

It is hard to not see anything but a Texan Takeover this evening and he could be a vital factor in helping Freedman possibly win the training premiership by scoring a few more times this year.

Good Louken has an attractive draw while Codigo is sure to be furnishing a few more wins in Singapore.

If this were a hand of Texas Holdem then bettors have a royal flush hand in the feature to go all in.