Trainer Sonny Yeoh has a bit of a spring in his step these days, but still keeps his feet firmly on the ground about any dramatic upturn in his fortunes in the near future.
Prior to the arrival of 10 horses from trainer Brian Dean, who left Kranji for South Korea last month, Yeoh had just the solitary win with Irish-bred Gold Reserve to show for this year.
Dr Yeoh Kheng Chye’s younger brother and former assistant-trainer, who took over the former veterinarian in 2012, had his worst season last year when he finished last of 25 trainers on only nine winners.
The new season had begun in the same sluggish vein for the former trainer of current Singapore Horse of the Year Stepitup (with whom he made a clean sweep of the Singapore Three-Year-Old series in 2013) until Dean’s former sprinter Eagle Storm put a kink on his graph when he won a Class 4 race over 1200m a month ago.
One swallow does not make a summer, but there is no doubt Dean’s ex-horses have compensated for the void left by the departure of some horses to his former assistant-trainer Alvin Kuah’s (now a trainer).
Yeoh won’t quite quantify the new arrivals as the shot in the arm that will save his season, but does agree it has brought about a fresh restart, also in terms of personnel.
“There are about 10 horses who moved from Brian and I’m very grateful for that. His assistant-trainer Eddie Wong and apprentice jockey Zawari Razali have also joined my team and we work well together,” said Yeoh.
“But my other horses are also coming along well. I hope our season picks up from now on.
“Eagle Storm will run this Sunday. He has trained on after his last win but he is up in class this time.
“I would also have preferred a race on turf as he has better turf form, but there wasn’t any.”
Wong, who obviously knows the Danbird six-year-old better, said the field made up of the likes of Ninetyseven Gold (another ex-Dean but now with Alwin Tan), the unbeaten Lincoln Road, Lign Em Up and Supersonicsurprise will give Eagle Storm a stiffer task than the one he faced at his last start, but there was no reason not to hope for a second win for Yeoh and an overall sixth win for the Eagle Storm Stable galloper.
“He galloped very well this week. He’s a horse who’s run his best races when handy and barrier No 2 will help him,” said Wong.
“(Erasmus) Aslam rode him very well last time and I’m sure he’ll give him another great ride. But there are much better horses to beat this time.”
Yeoh also saddles Jackpot, another former Dean ward who did make ground at his first run for his new trainer four weeks ago. He said the Artie Schiller six-year-old has only a rough chance in the Class 5 race over 1600m, but if there is one horse he is banking on to bump up his tally, it is his other winner Gold Reserve next Sunday week.
“Gold Reserve is a horse looking for more ground. He will run in the Kranji Stakes D race over 1800m next Sunday on Guineas day,” said Yeoh.
“Nooresh Juglall rode him very well at his win. I have booked the Mauritian jockey again.
“One race at a time with him. Our other horses are also running well, but we just need a bit of luck.”
