Sticking to the 1000m scamper paid off for Alaranch who brought up her second win in a row on Friday night.
The Alamosa mare recorded her first Kranji win in a similar Class 5 race over the same distance three weeks ago. Trainer Kuah Cheng Tee decided to have another go, with the only change in the riding department – from Moon Se Young, who has since gone back to Korea, to apprentice jockey Ng Choon Kiat – and was well rewarded with another gutsy all-the-way win.
One of the best away, Alaranch was bustled up from her widest alley in seven to take up the running rather easily, before taking a breather midrace and rallying again for a strong win to the line.
The five-year-old did hang out under pressure, but the decisive break she took on her other six rivals proved to be unassailable in the end.
Backed down to $13 favouritism, Alaranch won by 1 ¾ lengths from Castle Queen (Alan Munro) with D’Don (Saifudin Ismail) third another length away. The winning time was 59.77secs for the 1000m on the Polytrack.
“She shied away from the lights in the straight. She’s a very nervous mare and that’s why she wears pacifiers,” said Kuah.
“But they have also improved her a lot and I think dropping her back in trip to 1000m also did the trick.
“I would still like to step her back up to 1200m and 1400m in the future.”
Ng was at his first association with Alaranch but said she was pretty bombproof from the way she sprang the gates to settle on the plastic.
“It’s my first time riding her, whether it’s a race or in trackwork, but she is an easy mare to ride. She jumped good and landed in front quite easily,” said Mark Walker’s apprentice jockey, who seems to have changed his riding style into a more Benny Woodworth-continental posture of late.
“She has really improved a lot, and with a small field tonight, she did not have a tough race, even if she was hanging out badly. She was a very fit horse and she won very well.”
With that second consecutive win, Alaranch has now taken her stakes earnings closer to the $45,000 mark for her owner Song Yew Chye.
