The Open Class Jolies' Shinju 2009 Handicap over 1400m went to promising galloper Red Beard.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
In a pace that was quick, the field was taken along by Keep Away from an outside draw with Powerful Ruler, Davide and Captain Obvious in behind. Joao Moreira on board Red Beard allowed his mount to settle in fifth, always traveling well.
Straightening up for home, the grey, Captain Obvious came up to tackle Keep Away and Powerful Ruler, who began to fade even as Moreira asked Red Beard for his best. Black Ice meanwhile was darting through on the rails and The Comedian and Waikato were running on nicely.
A couple of smacks from the whalebone and the race was done and dusted as Red Beard began to pull away from Black Ice winning by over a length.
Red Beard had run second two weeks ago after a six month setback. With plenty more to find, Bruce Marsh was naturally thrilled with the performance.
“He's a top performer. He was a definite Derby horse but he had his problems after Christmas and we just took our time to bring him back,” began Marsh.
“It's a rushed preparation but we're not going to go overboard and be silly about it. We'll just see how he progresses from this race,” he ended.
Moreira was also nothing but praise for the 4-year-old whose likely target will be the Singapore Group 1, Emirates Singapore Derby on the 15th of July.
“He's a very promising horse. Once again he proves himself in a tough race,” said Moreira.
“I just had to follow the pace up there. Honestly, the pace was a bit faster than what we expected it to be,” he continued.
“At the top of the straight, when I gave him a clear run, he just flew and I knew that since he was carrying a light weight, he would be very hard to run down.
“He's quite a relaxed horse during the race. Once I gave him the reins, he just started to stride out himself. I didn't really have to go to him straight away and once we passed by the last 350m, he just got going.
“Compared to the other 4-year-olds I've ridden, he's definitely a Derby Contender and I just want to say well done to Bruce Marsh and all his staff,” ended the champion jockey.
Red Beard has now won six races from eight starts.
