Jockey Barend Vorster’s decision to take a red-eye flight from Dubai to ride at Kranji’s Sunday meeting proved worthwhile after he came up with a winner in Time Odyssey.
Vorster and trainer Ricardo Le Grange had no joy on Saturday night when Quechua ran out of the placings behind French stayer Vazirabad in the US$1 million Group 2 Dubai Gold Cup (3200m) at Meydan.
Win or lose, Vorster had already decided he would take the next available flight out of Dubai to get back in Singapore first thing on Sunday morning in time to take four rides at Kranji a few hours later.
Jetlag was clearly not an issue as the South African jockey hit paydirt right at his first ride on the Le Grange-trained Time Odyssey in the Super Easy 2012 Stakes Open Handicap (1600m). He was unplaced aboard his other three, Cyborg in the Group 3 Rocket Man Sprint (1200m), Terms Of Reference, both for Le Grange, and Queen Roulette for Leslie Khoo in the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1200m).
“Dubai did not turn out the way we wanted but it was still worth trying. Anyway, it was great to be able to ride a winner back in Singapore the next day,” said Vorster.
“The weather in Dubai has not been good (rain), and I was starting to come down with a bit of flu, but I was still fit for the rides, and Time Odyssey made it all the more worth it.
“He’s been showing good form and he put up a good fight to win that race.”
It turned out to be a Le Grange quinella for good measure, as the South African-bred Jet Master five-year-old had to pull out all the stops to just overpower stablemate Mr Fantastic (Nooresh Juglall) on the line.
Vorster and Le Grange may not have conquered Dubai, but they still have a big team of around 60 horses waiting for them back home, one among them who may just be their next passport to more international travels.
Or at least, the next good horse to put them back in the headlines on home soil for a start.
One possible may be debut winner The Capital who makes his second appearance this Sunday. The pair are hoping the Irish stayer can replicate his surprising turn in a sprint race four weeks ago on March 5.
A one-time winner over 2100m in Ireland when known as Father Christmas, The Capital is having another stab at 1200m in Friday’s $80,000 Open Benchmark 74 race. Le Grange and Vorster don’t see it as a case of lightning striking twice should he win over six furlongs again.
“He galloped well on Tuesday and he had a good trial last Thursday when we were over in Dubai,” said Vorster.
“He feels as good as before and there is no reason why he can’t win again even if he is going over 1200m again.
“It’s good for the Thai owners (Falcon Racing No 7 Stable) to have a horse doing well for them. They have Excellency running in the 2200m race on Sunday and I expect him to improve.
“He was gelded after his first run and I’ve seen some improvement in him.”
Like The Capital, Excellency (x Galileo) is part of a batch of recent Irish imports for the Thai-based outfit better known for horses like Big Brother and Grey Falcon. The bulk of those well-credentialled horses – purchased mainly from Coolmore - are with Le Grange with a few others with Laurie Laxon (Chairman) and Alwin Tan (Senator).
Le Grange is not one to rush his horses. To him, a horse like The Capital might well be known as a longer distance horse back in his country of origin, but when they land in his yard, he starts them from scratch with their historical data just as a reference.
“The Capital has done nothing wrong since we’ve had him and that 1200m race on Polytrack was just nice for him,” he said of the Bernardini five-year-old.
“In time, I will step him up over more ground. He’s maintained his form and I’d like to see him go over 1200m again.”
