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Khoo saddles 300th Kranji winner

Without fanfare, trainer Leslie Khoo saddled his 300th Singapore winner with Right Is Right last Sunday.

Right Is Right winning the MAIDEN
Right Is Right winning the MAIDEN Picture: Singapore Turf Club

For good measure, the former top-flight jockey added one more win in the last race with Fastnet Dragon to bring up his tally to 301 wins and his 2015 score to 30 wins and sit third on this year's leaderboard, nine shy of leader Mark Walker.

In terms of season’s best, given we are now around the halfway mark, it is more or less on par with his best score to-date, 66 winners in the 2011 season when he was a serious challenger to Patrick Shaw before he settled for second spot, losing by only 12 winners to the South African handler.

But this year’s performance is in many ways similar to that cracking year. Khoo was out of the starting blocks like a shot and has kept up the same tempo since.

“It’s great to have won 300 races already,” said the likeable trainer whose first win at Kranji came with Joe And Jayzeeca on July 4, 2008.

“I’m having a very good season, compared to last year when my horses had many problems. It’s also thanks to the owners who have invested a lot in new young horses.

Right Is Right was a bit of a surprise but she’s been improving and TH (Teck Huat) Koh rode her well. That was her first win for us.

“Fastnet Dragon was more of an expected win and he again delivered. This horse showed ability from Day 1 and has now won three in a row.”

Khoo, who saddled 147 Malaysian-based winners at his first stint as a trainer in Ipoh (2001 to 2007), hoped his yard can keep up the same winning trend so the 400 milestone does not take too long to come round.

But if there was one wish the 61-year-old hoped would come true one day is that first Group success he had been chasing in his eight years as a trainer at Kranji, especially the race that also eluded him as a jockey, the Singapore Gold Cup (2200m).

“I hope I can win a Group race as a trainer soon,” said Khoo.

“As a jockey, I’ve won most of the big races in Singapore and Malaysia, but the one race that I never won and wanted so badly to win was the Gold Cup.

“I hope I can win it one day as a trainer, but I must get the right horse for such a tough race.”

On the same note, the 300-win mark was by coincidence achieved by Khoo’s Australian colleague Cliff Brown two days earlier on Friday with Any Rumour. The no-nonsense handler just took it as another win, but was also pleased with his journey in Singapore since relocating from rural Narbethong in Victoria in 2008.

“It’s been a great ride. Hopefully, there will be more wins,” said Brown.


Singapore Turf Club

Kranji Sunday, 24th May 2015

7f210y ALL WEATHER STANDARD
SGD $35,000

MAIDEN

SGD $35,000
Type: MDN
7f210y ALL WEATHER STANDARD
FP Horse, Age & Sex
Sire & Dam
Jockey
Trainer
SP
WT
1st 11. RIGHT IS RIGHT (AUS) 4yo M
SOLDIER'S TALE (USA) - CELESTIAL SOOZE (AUS)
KOH TECK HUAT CHARLARD
L KHOO
$14
48kg
KHOO PENG ANN LESLIE
2nd 3. ZENZERO (AUS) 3yo G
TIME THIEF (AUS) - ZANDERO (AUS)
MANOEL NUNES
STEVEN BURRIDGE
$3.6
55.5kg
PREMIER RACING STABLE

Sales Information

3rd 1. REMEMBER ME (NZ) 3yo G
IFFRAAJ (GB) - MIDNIGHT MADAM (NZ)
MICHAEL RODD
LAURIE LAXON
$2.2
59kg
OH ENG HWA

Sales Information

4th 8. CHI LIN (AUS) 5yo G
CHOISIR (AUS) - CHEIRI (AUS)
ALAN MUNRO
LAM WAI YUEN STEVEN
$8.6
51.5kg

Sales Information

5th 6. PURE WHITE (JPN) 5yo G
NEO UNIVERSE (JPN) - WASTIN' TIME (JPN)
RIZUAN SHAFIQ
HIDEYUKI TAKAOKA
$5.2
53kg
6th 10. BERNARD'S FIGHTER (USA) 4yo G
BERNARDINI (USA) - GOODNESS (USA)
MOHD ZAKI
L KHOO
$140.2
50kg
7th 2. PUERTO COLONIA (ARG) 3yo G
PURE PRIZE (USA) - PATAGONIA VIEJA (ARG)
R ZAWARI
BRIAN DEAN
$43.4
52.5kg
8th 9. YUGIOH (AUS) 4yo G
ELVSTROEM (AUS) - ROSE OF PORTLAND (USA)
R RUEVEN
MOHD YUSOF BIN OTHMAN
$98.4
49.5kg

Sales Information

9th 4. MR DREYFUSS (NZ) 3yo G
SUFFICIENT (NZ) - GO NORN (NZ)
BAREND VORSTER
LAURIE LAXON
$17.8
54.5kg

Sales Information

10th 7. VIVA RAAJ (NZ) 5yo G
IFFRAAJ (GB) - SPELLBOUND (NZ)
MARIO ESPOSITO
L KHOO
$30.4
53.5kg

Sales Information

11th 12. SPARKLING STAR (NZ) 5yo G
DARCI BRAHMA (NZ) - BREEZED (AUS)
JOSEPH SEE
ALVIN TAN
$52.2
50kg
12th 5. PIONEER LIU (AUS) 3yo G
ASTRONOMER ROYAL (USA) - PROTECTS (AUS)
SAM SUBIAN
DAVID HILL
$264.8
54.5kg

Sales Information

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