Kranji’s most senior equine citizen Cool Cat defied his ageing legs to bring up his eighth career win in courageous style on Sunday.
At an age when most of his peers would have long bowed out of the racing scene, the 12-year-old son of One Cool Cat is still going around hale and hearty and giving his younger rivals something to worry about more often than not, albeit at Class 5 level.
What was even more uplifting at his latest age-defying feat was the way he fashioned the win – edge-of-the-seat stuff as he came downing a rival (Bring Me Joy) more than half his age, fair and square, and with a will to win that would be akin to seeing French football legend Zinedine Zidane outdribbling the Bleus’ latest sensation Kylian Mbappe.
Trainer David Hill, who first put the saddle on Cool Cat on Valentine’s Day in 2009, was just in awe at that most enduring love affair with the Ace-In-The-Hole Stable’s old stager.
“It’s just super! He’s an old marvel, to do it as a 12yo, I’m just gobsmacked,” said the English handler who is the exclusive trainer for one of Singapore’s oldest outfits.
“He’s not been out of the first six in his last 20 runs, which is just amazing. His last run was good and I’m not surprised he won today.”
Hill saw no reason to retire Cool Cat given the way he was still racing with great zest.
“He’s a horse that has no soundness issues. He looks after himself and is always a happy horse,” he said.
“There is no secret to keeping him in form. Every morning, he just goes up and down the hill and he keeps running well.
“But even if I delete him one day, which will happen eventually, I will just leave him at the stable.”
One person who was clearly won over by the “tonton’s” (uncle in French) fighting spirit was Derby-winning jockey Olivier Placais, who was incidentally picking up a belated 34th birthday (celebrated on Saturday) present.
“He’s an old ‘tonton’, but he just doesn’t know he’s 12,” said Placais.
“I remember I rode him a few times when I was here back in 2010. We didn’t win but he did show ability even then.
“This is my third ride on him this prep, and I was actually very happy with his last run (closing third to Cassis Oolong). He, however, had to come through on the inside, and he didn’t quite like it.
“I made sure I had him on the outside today, and a little closer to the pace. He was chipping away slowly but surely, but I knew he would be good enough to get Michael’s (Rodd) horse (Bring Me Joy).”
The $14 favourite indeed looked home and hosed when he kicked clear upon straightening, but Placais threw everything at Cool Cat ($32) bar the sink inside the last furlong.
Bring Me Joy gave the impression he had Cool Cat covered for a while, but that was underestimating the veteran campaigner, who responded like a four-year-old under Placais’ relentless urgings to just get the nod by a nose on the line. Solitaire (Mark Ewe) ran third another two lengths away.
The winning time was 1min 1.09secs for the 1000m on the Polytrack.
That latest sensational win has now taken Cool Cat’s stats to eight wins, 12 seconds and 16 thirds from 95 starts for prizemoney close to the $390,000 mark for the Ace-In-The-Hole Stable.
