Singapore star sprinter Rocket Man took out Thursday's last barrier trial – his first such jumpout since his unsuccessful Hong Kong raid last December – to get his new 2012 campaign back on track.
The lack of racing fitness however showed as Rocket Man had to be niggled at by regular partner Barend Vorster to keep Class 3 galloper Squall Line (Joao Moreira) at bay to score by 1 ¾ lengths – a much more conservative margin than the ones he normally leaves his rivals behind by in such hitouts.
The Viscount six-year-old sat second on the fence behind leader Calombaris (Olivier Placais) before hitting the front at the top of the straight. Squall Line loomed up less than a length away on his inside with Sichuan Ruler (John Powell) also giving chase in between, but Rocket Man knuckled down to the task to hold his ground all the way to the line and stop the clock at 1min 0.37sec.
Undeterred by Rocket Man's recent defeats in the Grade 1 Sprinters Stakes (1200m) in Japan last October and the Group 1 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Sprint (1200m) at Sha Tin last December, trainer Patrick Shaw is currently charting a course for the $5.9 million stakes earner towards his next offshore mission, a return to Dubai in March in a bid to score back-to-back wins in the US$2 million Group 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen (1200m).
Rocket Man broke his International Group 1 hoodoo by landing that feature race at Meydan last March, incidentally rewriting Singapore racing history books by becoming its first horse to score at that level. He then went on to double the dose before his home crowd in the Group 1 KrisFlyer International Sprint (1200m) in May, but unfortunately tasted defeat in Japan and Hong Kong.
Shaw gave Rocket Man a well-deserved break during the quarantine following the Hong Kong race and was looking forward to the next step now that the first workout is under his belt.
“He needed the run badly. He's only 70% fit and he will definitely blow after today's run,” said Shaw.
“It was his first time doing fast work after we've built him up slowly from trotting through to half-pace.
“He only just came out of quarantine about three weeks ago and he just needed a good blowout today. I'm sure he will come on from that.
“He will have another trial next week and then he'll race on March 4 in a Kranji Stakes A 1200m race on Polytrack before he goes to Dubai.”
Vorster jumped off after the trial with a positive outlook on the Fred Crabbia-owned galloper's condition.
“I'm pretty happy with that run. He needed a hitout and I just wanted him to enjoy it today,” said the South African jockey.
“I had to give him a bit of a squeeze in the straight as he was quite switched off after such a long rest. Once I clicked him up, he did it all by himself in the last bit.
“He can only improve from today's run.”
Vorster boasted a 100% record of six rides for six wins (from his 18 wins) aboard Rocket Man until he took up his first overseas assignment in the Hong Kong Sprint won by Lucky Nine. After being caught hopelessly wide, Rocket Man was already a spent force at the top of the straight to eventually beat two home.
The Caspar Fownes-trained Lucky Nine is also nominated for the Golden Shaheen, along with Rocket Man's 2010 Golden Shaheen nemesis Kinsale King, Golden Slipper winner Sepoy, but so is the one who has set the whole racing world all abuzz – Australia's wonder mare Black Caviar.
The unbeaten Peter Moody-trained champion mare is racing on Saturday at Caulfield in the Group 1 CF Orr Stakes, her first test over 1400m, in a bid to extend her winning streak to 18. If Black Caviar lines up in the Golden Shaheen in Dubai, it will be her first time racing outside Australia and she will also finally come up for that much-awaited mouth-watering clash with Rocket Man.
