After making Kranji racegoers sit up and take notice at his first two starts, the precocious Easy Man unexpectedly slipped under the radar for a year only to pop right back up this Sunday.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
The now four-year-old son of Ishiguru launched his career in promising fashion with a narrow debut second to Pitstop in last year’s Group 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe (1200m) for two-year-olds before following up with a dominant win at very short odds in a Restricted Maiden race over 1100m on June 15, 2012.
The well put-together individual looked destined to a steady climb through the ranks, but things went awry after a blinkers trial test. Though he won easily again, Easy Man returned with a swollen near-fore leg, which upon scanning revealed a fractured cannon bone.
It was a major blow to trainer Leslie Khoo and owners, the Ninetyseven Stable, as the injury necessitated surgery to fix a steel plate onto the bone, not to mention a lengthy time on the sidelines.
Though Easy Man healed quite quickly and would have been ready to resurrect his career earlier, a decision was made to give him more time to mature, given his untapped potential.
The winning barrier trial in the smart time of 1min 0.35 sec last month on July 18, 2013 certainly came as a well-deserved reward for the connections’ patience.
Ridden by champion jockey Joao Moreira, his winning partner at his only victory, Easy Man sat outside the leader from the start before drawing away for a 1 ¼-length win from Dragon King, who went on to record back-to-back wins last Sunday.
On that sparkling run, Khoo had every reason to be bullish about a victorious comeback in the $35,000 Kranji Stakes D Division 1 race over 1100m on Sunday, but still exercised caution nonetheless.
“After his win last year, Joao told us to put blinkers on him. We gave him a test run and he raced well with them, but he unfortunately hurt his leg during the barrier trial,” said Khoo.
“The vets inserted a steel plate in him. He got back on track but we decided to give him more time to mature as we knew he was a good horse.
“It’s always hard to tell how a horse will run after a long absence, especially after a leg injury, but he is a very good horse and his barrier trial win tells me he is close to his best.
"We've decided to put the blinkers on as we felt he ran better with the blinkers on at that trial last year.
"There are a few good horses in the race (on Sunday), especially Alvin Tan’s horse (last-start winner Faithfully), but my horse is fit and well and should run a good race.”
In his six years of training in Singapore, Khoo has enjoyed plenty of luck with the progeny of now-deceased stallion Ishiguru, mainly through the likes of Super Guru, Niceone and Popi Popi, and would love nothing less than Easy Man (last Ishiguru progeny together with Class 5 dweller Boss Can I Can) to continue the legacy.
“Ishiguru is one of my favourite stallions from New Zealand, but unfortunately he died,” said the champion jockey-turned trainer. “I like the Ishiguru’s as I think they are suited to Singapore racing. Easy Man is one of the last I have in my stable and I hope he can keep his dad proud.”
