3 minute read

Newcomer Decreto may not have that racing caper down pat yet, but his raw ability still saw him win on debut on Friday night.

A tricky horse to handle in trackwork, the Red Giant three-year-old brought those antics to the races at his debut in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden (2YO & 3YO) event, giving jockey Azhar Ismail a torrid time for most of the 1100m journey.

But the multiple Malaysian champion jockey has seen it all in his 35-odd years in the saddle, and another rogue was not going to rattle him as long as there is a hidden talent waiting to be harnessed.

With his head cocked to the inside, Decreto was still racing unkindly upon straightening, even drifting out the widest as My Horse (Olivier Placais) set upon Pomp (Benny Woodworth) with plenty of resolve.

But as soon as Azhar drew the whip, the racehorse in Decreto suddenly woke up, sprinting hard to the line to finish right over the top of the leading bunch for a soft 1 ¼-length win.

After running third on Monday, My Horse had to settle for second four days later, one length ahead of Pomp. The winning time was 1min 6.48secs for the 1100m on the Polytrack.

Azhar, who rides a lot for the owners Synthetic Stable of Hello Michelle and Mighty Conqueror fame, was still shaking his head and blowing hard as he unsaddled from his third winning mount this season.

“He’s a good horse, but he’s still very green. He was going in and out and running away from the other horses,” he said.

“In trackwork, he is a real handful, but he is better in his barrier trials. They don’t go so hard, and he just galloped around.”

Winning trainer Kuah Cheng Tee said all the credit should go to Azhar, who has forged a solid bond with the New Zealand-bred, who was sent out as the $16 favourite.

“After Aeolus lost in the first race, I was a bit down, but this win has come at the right time,” said the second-season trainer.

“Luckily, Azhar knows this horse very well. He gallops and trials him and knows how to ride him.

“You could tell how green he was tonight. He kept shying away from the other horses, was hanging out badly, but he won on raw ability.

“He was a trial winner in New Zealand and showed ability from Day 1. We just need to give him more time to mature mentally.

“This is a new owner with me and I hope they will send more horses to me after this win.”