English trainer David Hill branded Silkino as a “good, honest, tough horse” after the Congrats five-year-old recorded a fighting win in the $80,000 Kranji Stakes C race over 1000m on Friday night.
An all-the-way winner in a lower Class 4 Premier race over 1100m at his last outing, Silkino had to come from just off the pace this time, but those bulldog qualities were unmistakably still there.
After collaring race-leader Elite Power (Zawari Razali) and getting away rather easily, the fourth win looked all over red rover, but the resuming Sir Isaac (Michael Rodd) had other ideas as he came upsides on his near girth, looking all set to assert his superiority.
But ridden vigorously by Olivier Placais, Silkino ($58) surpassed himself inside the last 50m to reclaim the advantage which he was able to maintain all the way to the line, with half-a-length to spare on Sir Isaac. Placais was incidentally exacting sweet revenge on Rodd who earlier on Angel Halo had denied him and Turf Princess by a short head (see earlier report).
Elite Power floundered late to take third spot another 2 ¼ lengths away. The winning time was 58.89 seconds for the 1000m on the Polytrack.
“He’s always been a good, honest, tough horse. He’s a real genuine competitive horse and he showed it again tonight,” said Hill.
“He’s taken a little bit of time to come to himself. He’s five going into six, so he’s been a late maturer.
“Olivier said he kicked again when the other horse (Sir Isaac) bumped him, but he’s being modest. It’s him who lifted the horse past the post because he’s such a strong rider in a tight finish.”
The French jockey, who has been in consistently flying form in the last four months, insisted that he was just the pilot and it was the horse who willed himself to win when Sir Isaac came breathing down their necks.
“We had a super race in third place on the rails behind the leader. At the top of the straight, he was still going well and came out easily,” said Placais.
“I was happy where he was as he’s a horse who doesn’t like to be cramped around horses. He had a lot of galloping room around him.
“I did get a bit scared when Michael’s horse quickened and came next to him. With the blinkers on, I think my horse didn’t see him coming, but when he realised he had another horse next to him, he got going again.
“It’s been a tough week for me, but it’s good to get a winner tonight. I’m in a good position in the championship (third on 44 winners, only three behind Vlad Duric) and I’m here to win as many races as I can.”
Placais was on Tuesday cleared of any wrongdoing at a Stewards’ inquiry on his ride aboard the Daniel Meagher-trained Dragon High in an Open Maiden race on August 3.
In Friday’s race, $13 favourite Augustano (Duric) was resuming after his terrific fourth to Be Bee in the Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1200m) in March, but never put in a blow to run ninth, around eight lengths off the winner.
Silkino was ringing up his fourth win in 23 starts for stakes earnings that have now edged close to the quarter-million mark for one of Singapore’s oldest outfits, the Ace-In-The-Hole Stable, better remembered in the Bukit Timah days in the 80s for two-time Singapore Derby winner and Singapore Gold Cup winner Feu Vert.
