A fiercely-fought finish to the $60,000 Super Easy 2012 Stakes (1200m) saw Pint Sized Prince just pip his rivals to the line.
Partnered by jockey Nooresh Juglall, the six-year-old gelding looked like he had a real fight on his hands with Queen’s Seven (Shafiq Rizuan) arriving hard on the inside.
But the Mauritian rider clearly knows how to get the best out of him, with their previous partnership in the 1400m Class 4 race on March 1 also ending on a victorious note.
“We jumped into a good position so I was confident,” remarked Juglall.
“From then on, I was happy to follow Mexican Girl closely and once we hit the home straight, I just guided him along.
“I feel he is more of a 1400m horse but he ran a very gutsy race tonight.”
Trainer Leticia Dragon was very happy with the win, although it did not come as a surprise to her.
“The jockey rode an excellent race,” said the Singaporean trainer.
“We are not surprised by the win. He was working well on the track and was in good form coming into the race.
“The only worry was him starting on the inside. I would have preferred an outside barrier start but it all worked out in the end.”
The race started with Moonbeam Dazzler surging forward to take his customary early lead, followed closely by Mexican Girl in second and Queen’s Seven in third. Pint Sized Prince seemed happy to sit back in the middle of the pack and follow the leaders’ pace.
As the horses straightened, the front four gave no indication of giving up their places and the result looked done and dusted.
That was until Pint Sized Prince made his move. With barely half the home straight remaining, the son of Outback Prince started catching up and a stiff battle was on the cards.
With the winning post fast approaching, he had to pull out all the stops to just edge out the challengers to finish a short head in front of Queen’s Seven in a winning time of 1min 10.06secs.
With a win in both Friday’s 1200m and last month’s 1400m races, Pint Sized Prince’s handler was asked if she would step him up to a mile race.
“We will see how he pulls up but we will likely keep to the 1200m to 1400m distances for him.” she replied firmly.
