Exciting four-year-old Super Easy will be out to equal the record of Better Than Ever when he lines-up in the Group 3 $200,000 Jumbo Jet Trophy over 1400m on Sunday.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
Better Than Ever won his first 12 races straight before tasting defeat for the first time in the 2010 Longines Singapore Gold Cup.
While beaten in two of his three starts in New Zealand, Super Easy is unbeaten in his 11 starts in Singapore and has accumulated almost $1.3 million in prizemoney.
Victories have come over a variety of distances for the New Zealand-bred son of Darci Brahma and trainer Michael Freedman said the four-year-old goes into Sunday’s race in good order to keep the unbeaten run going.
While not showing the signs outwardly, Freedman admits to a few “nerves” as the winning streak continues.
“Obviously the longer the run goes the more you do think about it,” said Freedman. “Naturally you want the run to continue.
“The only thing that you can do is prepare them the best that you can and then you hope to have that little bit of luck in running.”
After making a clean sweep of the Singapore Three-year-Old Challenge – which saw him overcome difficulties to score in the final leg, the Group 1 Singapore Guineas – Super Easy was given a break before returning to win the Group 3 Paititi Gold Trophy over 1200m on July 15.
Again a break ensured for the four-year-old before his preparation was stepped up in the lead-up to the Jumbo Jet Trophy and the entire showed he was in perfect order with a barrier trial victory on August 21 over 1000m.
Freedman said following the Paititi Gold Trophy he gave Super Easy 10 days off, although he didn’t leave the stable.
“He had 10 days or so where he was taken for a walk morning and night,” said Freedman. “After that he was starting to get a bit too fresh so we decided to start doing a bit more with him.
“He’s a naturally fit sort of horse anyway. Horses up here don’t lose much having four, six or eight weeks off.
“He had a nice trial last week with Joao (Moreira) on him and his gallop during the week was good and he returned lovely and clean in the wind.
“I couldn’t be happier with him. We now just need the right sort of luck during the race and hopefully he can keep his winning run intact.”
As has been the case throughout, Super Easy will again be ridden by Joao Moreira who returns from missing last Sunday’s meeting after riding in Germany where he finished sixth aboard Verde Mar at Baden Baden.
Following Sunday’s race Super Easy will venture onto the Group 1 $500,000 Panasonic Kranji Mile over 1600m on October 7 and then to the Group 1 Raffles Cup over 1800m a fortnight later and if his form warrants it a trip to Hong Kong in December for the Hong Kong International Mile over 1600m at Sha Tin beckons.
Joining Super Easy in Sunday’s race is The Comedian – to be ridden by Stephen Baster – which hasn’t raced since finishing sixth behind Chase Me in the Group 2 Chairman’s Trophy over 1800m on July 29.
Freedman said freshened up and back to the 1400m journey was ideal for The Comedian.
“We experimented with him up to the 1800m last time behind Chase Me and I don’t think he ran the journey out,” said Freedman.
“I think he’s a much better horse at 1400m (five of his six wins have been at the trip) and his work leading into the race has been good.
“With these higher rated horses they don’t get a lot of opportunities so you have to have them right when that right race comes around and I’m hopeful that he’ll run a nice race.”
