Class rose to the top when Better Than Ever recorded a brilliant first-up win in the Group 3 $200,000 Merlion Trophy over 1200m on Sunday.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
Having his first start since finishing at the tail of the field in the Group 1 Raffles Cup over 1800m last October, Better Than Ever, ridden for just the second time by Joao Moreira, produced a powerful finishing burst to record a three-quarter length victory over Ato (Barend Vorster) with Yin Xin (Olivier Placais) holding on for third place, two lengths further afield.
He stopped the clock at 1 min 10.92 secs, which was more than a second outside of Rocket Man's record for the distance.
Yin Xin carved a solid early pace under Placais after jumping brilliantly from his wide draw and was able to come across and lead from Northern Lion (Stephen Baster) with Better Than Ever and Won't Stop (Oscar Chavez) next in line.
As the field approached the hometurn, Yin Xin still held sway from Northern Lion with Ato moving into contention while Better Than Ever had dropped back to fifth and was hanging coming around the turn.
Ato sprinted quickly and by the time the 200m mark was reached had hit the front and was being acclaimed as the winner but Better Than Ever was starting to reach full stride and unleashing a powerful finish.
Better Than Ever kept chasing down Ato and over the last 50m of the race overpowered his lesser rated rival and won going away.
Laxon thought Better Than Ever was going to run a brave third early in the straight but was impressed with the way the gelding picked up Ato and drew clear at the finish.
“I did think he was going to run a nice third there for a while in the straight,” said Laxon. “But he looked like he was really enjoying himself out there and I'd have to say so was Joao.
“He's a very good horse. He's not a sprinter as such and certainly likes it a bit further than today's journey.
“We'll have to see what happens next time. Hopefully the second-up syndrome doesn't come into effect.”
Laxon said Better Than Ever had a foot problem before his last start in the Raffles Cup and maybe that was the telling factor in his last placing in the Raffles Cup.
“He had a foot problem leading up to the Raffles Cup which had cleared up but maybe that affected him in the Raffles Cup,” said Laxon.
“We then decided to give him a good spell, the first time he's had such a long break since he came up here.
“He's getting a bit older now and he really enjoys going up to the resting stables at the top of the back straight there and the break this time has done him the world of good.”
Laxon said Better Than Ever was likely to step up in distance to 1600m for his next start before progressing to the Group 2 $350,000 Queen Elizabeth II Cup over 2000m on April 27 and then onto the International Group 1 $3 million Singapore Airlines International Cup over 2000m on May 20.
“That's the plans we've made so far and I don't see any need to change them at this stage,” said Laxon.
“He's come back in great form and hopefully he will keep holding it all the way through to SIA Cup.”
The victory was Laxon's fifth Merlion success. He took the race in three consecutive years with Why Be (2006-08) before Mexican Rose won in 2010.
While Moreira has ridden 66 winners for the season so far, it was just his second feature win for the year. He had taken the Group 3 Three Rings Trophy with Super Easy last month.
With more than 400 winners in Singapore, feature race victories have been relatively scarce for Moreira with his previous big race victory coming with Super Easy in the Group 2 EW Barker Trophy last November – which in fact was his only black-type win through 2011.
His only previous ride on Better Than Ever was in capturing the 2010 Three Rings Trophy.
“It's always good to land a feature race,” said Moreira. “And when you get on good horses it makes your job a bit easier.
“At the top of the straight this horse was hanging out, so I just let him balance up and when I got to work on him he really responded.
“The way he won he is a superstar.
“Laurie and Shane (Ellis) have done a first class job in getting this horse back and I am the lucky one to be able to sit on top and ride such a good horse.
“He's got a very long stride on him and the way he was able to run down Ato suggests he's going to be in for a very good run.”
Patrick Shaw, trainer of Ato, said it was no disgrace to be beaten by Better Than Ever.
“We all know how good a galloper he is and he looked really well in the parade ring before the race,” said Shaw.
“My horse has run really well and it was a weight-for-age. If it was a handicap then I would have been getting a lot in weight from him.”
Vorster couldn't believe it when he was run down by Better Than Ever in the closing stages of the race.
“I thought I had him beaten on the hometurn,” said Vorster. “I went past him easily and I didn't think he was travelling all that well.
“I thought I wasn't going to have to pick up the stick but then all of a sudden I could see him charging at me in the last 100m and just went flying past.
“My horse has run super but the winner is a very good horse all the same.”
Better Than Ever, a five-year-old by French Deputy from Songfest, landed his 16th win from 23 starts on Sunday and took his prizemoney to almost $2.65 million with the victory.
