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Two horses – ANTIPODEAN and GOLDEN PEGASUS – who dominated the Selangor Turf Club three and four-year-old series this year are set to take on allcomers in the RM200,000 Hygain Horse City Selangor Gold Cup at Sungai Besi this Sunday, thus adding new perspectives to the 1600m set-weight event.
In recent years, the big races have mostly been contested and won by much older horses.
Just in the past few months, Cheval Blanc won the Penang Gold Cup (2000m) last December and went on to take out the Tunku Gold Cup (1200m) in April as well. CIRCUIT MISSION triumphed in the Penang Sprint Trophy (1400m) last July. They were eight years old.
The Perak Derby this year was won by nine-year-old TRUMPY.
Kong Fu Panda broke the dominance of the older horses when he bagged the Perak Gold Vase back in June. He was then five years old.
Antipodean and Golden Pegasus are coming on the scene at an exciting time for Malaysian racing. With the closure of racing in Macau and Singapore soon to follow, the focus in the region will be on the local circuit with Kuala Lumpur very much in the spotlight. Several horses from Macau have already landed in the country to continue their racing careers.
ANTIPODEAN might have met his match in his last start, thus ending his unbeaten run after seven consecutive wins but the four-year-old will be one of the horses to beat come Sunday especially with Bernardo Pinheiro to partner him.
The New Zealand gelding appeared to have trouble getting going last time out and when he eventually did, it was too late to catch GAMESTONKS in a Supreme A race over 1300m two weeks ago.
ANTIPODEAN has yet to be tested over the 'mile' but has won over 1400m, in the New Zealand Bloodstock 3-Year- Old Trophy two months ago. He had earlier captured the 3YO Pacific Cup (1200m).
For a horse who started racing only after turning four, GOLDEN PEGASUS is making great strides up the ranks, with three wins last year and another three this season.
The Australian gelding swept the two four-year-old races, the Selangor Turf Club 4-Year-Old Sprint (120m) last June and the Safar Gemilang Cup (1600m) in July.
Now five, the Wayne Lim-trained GOLDEN PEGASUS is in tip-top form after another win over 1600m four weeks ago, and he gets into the Cup on Sunday with 55.5kg, half a kilo less than ANTIPODEAN. He will be ridden by this season's leading jockey Ruzaini Supien.
He was only three when he won four races in the space of five months from last December. He then finished fourth and third respectively behind ANTIPODEAN in the 3YO Pacific Cup and New Zealand Bloodstock 3-Year-Old.
Military Flag now meets ANTIPODEAN with a 4kg advantage in the weights and he comes into the Gold Cup with a last-start runaway win over 1400m in Class 3. Both horses are trained by Simon Dunderdale who has called up Singapore based jockey Simon Kok for the horse.
The Gold Cup will be headed by AWESOME STORM who will have to shoulder a punishing 60kg. It will be a big ask for the champion sprinter who won the Tunku Gold Cup by an incredible eight and a half lengths in 2022, then finished second to SAN ANDREAS in the same race last year.
The Australia gelding, who recorded his 11th win last March, has been dismal in four appearances since. His only test over the 'mile' resulted in a third to PASIR PINJI in the Selangor Gold Cup last year and the latter will not defend his title after some after some poor recent runs.
BERRY BLISS, who finished second in the Cup last year, will aim to go one better with Clyde Leck in the saddle.
The New Zealand gelding, who has won 10 of 23 starts, tried to make all the running last year but was caught near the line, beaten half a length. SINCERELY (fifth last year), GOOD FIGHT (sixth) and BLACK THORN (ninth) are back in the hunt for honours but will have to raise their game considerably to pose a threat.
Given his recent exploits, CHEVAL BLANC will be thereabouts in the Cup although he has managed just one placing in four starts since winning the Tunku Gold Cup.
Two horses with last-start winning form are WECANDO and TRIGGER PEGASUS (formerly TRIDENT).
WECANDO has won 11 races in Singapore and Malaysia but has yet to be proven at this level. The New Zealand gelding finished eighth in this year's Penang Sprint Trophy.
TRIGGER PEGASUS, a four-year-old series contestant in Singapore last year, sprang a mild upset when he won the Charity Cup (1400m) in Ipoh two weeks ago, in his second start in the country after picking up five wins in Singapore.
It was an impressive effort as he came from second last at the home turn to snatch victory by half a length. However, all but one (STREETS OF FIRE and STORM EIGHTY-THREE) of the horses he beat that day are not in the Gold Cup. But age (six) and weight (53kg) are on his side.
STREETS OF FIRE, with eight wins to his name, finished second to CIRCUIT MISSION in the Penang Sprint Trophy, then ran eighth to TRIGGER PEGASUS in the Charity Cup which was run on a very wet track. With Singapore based Carlos Henrique to partner him, he could be one to watch.
For sentimental value, what about a bet on BLACK THORN, at 11 years the oldest horse in the race with 10 wins to his name, one of the best horses in recent years not to have won more trophies.
Before the Covid-19 outbreak, the New Zealand was just reaching his peak with three consecutive placings in the Piala Emas Sultan Selangor (2000m), Coronation Cup (1600m) and the Penang Gold Cup (2000m) in 2019.
Then came the shutdowns and restrictions which prevented the son of Written Tycoon to truly showcase his talent.
But BLACK THORN was not be denied his moment of glory, winning the Selangor Gold Cup in 2022 at the age of nine.
BLACK THORN showed recently that his career is far from over. He ran second to GOOD FIGHT in the Coronation Cup last November and was third to TRUMPY in the Perak Derby in April. He ran second to CIRCUIT MISSION in a 1400m race last time out two months ago. He has a very handy 53kg in the race.
Will the young guns strut their stuff or the elders hold court in the Selangor Gold Cup come Sunday? An intriguing race awaits.
