For someone who has won three Singapore Gold Cups and the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge Triple Crown, trainer Hideyuki Takaoka knows all about big-race pressure and was without surprise a picture of calm ahead of the big weekend.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
The Kranji-based Japanese trainer has runners in both feature races on Friday and Sunday. Exciting filly Better Life is stepping up to the more suitable trip of 1600m in the $500,000 Group 1 Singapore Guineas on Friday while his Gold Cup three-peat hero El Dorado is running in the $3 million Group 1 Singapore Airlines International Cup (2000m) on Sunday.
Takaoka is under no illusions about El Dorado's odds of becoming the first local runner to hold sway in the SIA Cup since Ouzo in 2000, but Better Life's odds in the Guineas are a great deal shorter though the ominous shadow of nine-from-nine winner Super Easy stands tall in the third Leg of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge.
Better Life did stamp herself as something out of the box right from her debut win in a 1200m Restricted Maiden race last October, but her two subsequent wins over 1400m and narrow closing second (first defeat) in a 1600m race convinced Takaoka the Singapore Guineas would be her main objective.
Takaoka therefore bypassed the first Leg, the Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint over 1200m, instead pressing the Suzuka Racing Stable-owned galloper on towards the second Leg, the Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic over 1400m, as a first-up race from a two-month layoff on April 22. She eventually ran fourth to Super Easy.
“I knew I could not run her in the 1200m race. Even the 1400m race was too short, I thought,” said Takaoka, who has built a reputation at Kranji as a conditioner of stayers like El Dorado and middle-distance performers like Triple Crown four-year-old champion Jolie's Shinju.
“She was probably too far off the lead in the 1400m race anyway. She made some ground and finished around two lengths off Super Easy, but she was left with too much to do in the end.
“I think we will have to settle her closer to the speed this time. From barrier No 3, she should be able to race handier.
“Besides you can't get too far back in such a strong field. You can't give a horse like Super Easy too big a start.
“She was beaten by about two lengths by Super Easy in the Classic. Over 1600m, she will hopefully finish closer, especially over the Long Course.”
Toppling the Michael Freedman star is another kettle of fish, but if her preparation was anything to go by, Takaoka had no reason to believe the Smarty Jones filly would not cross swords with him without a mighty fight.
Under Munro last Tuesday, Better Life took off at three-quarter pace from the 1000m on the Polytrack before working home in earnest to reel off the last 600m in 39 seconds.
“It was a very solid run. She came off that work very well and in good shape,” said Takaoka.
“Her preparation since her last run has gone smoothly. We've only made sure she maintained her condition and she certainly has improved from her last run.”
Takaoka has left nothing to chance with Better Life, probably his best hope of securing his first win in a Leg of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge in his 10 years of training at Kranji, but he is also praying for a bit of divine intervention as well.
Though Better Life scored her second and third win by widening margins over 1400m on a yielding track, Takaoka still believes the filly is at her best over the top of the ground.
“Even though she won on a yielding track with (jockey Barend) Vorster, I hope it stops raining by Friday as I think firm ground is more suitable for her,” said Takaoka.
“But I hope it starts raining again from Saturday to Sunday. That will be good for El Dorado as he likes it wet!”
