Trainer Steven Burridge’s highest-rated horse Jay Eff Express is back in the fray, but his handler does not expect to see the best of him until another couple of runs.
The dashing five-year-old grey by Murtajill has not been seen since the Group 2 Stewards’ Cup (1400m) in May. Unwanted at $169, he was not given much of a chance to topple the hierarchy in the first Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge, but his late-closing sixth to Titanium earned him a few appreciative nods.
A debut winner over 1100m at Flemington in Melbourne when raced as Seenaan for big owner Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum and trainer Mick Price, Jay Eff Express has certainly justified the Premier Racing Stable’s decision to bring him to Singapore.
After a debut second, Jay Eff Express racked up four wins in a row, all on turf and between 1200m and 1400m, with the last one coming up at his comeback race after a three-month gap. He then did not go so well in two runs on Polytrack before he was tipped out again.
Jay Eff Express, who is named after one of his Australian owners John Francis, and is also known by the stable nickname of “Johnny”, returned three months later, added a fifth win in an Open Benchmark 97 race over 1400m in May before that meritorious Stewards’ Cup performance.
Beginning his Kranji career on a rating of 60 points, Jay Eff Express has shot to 87 points in the space of less than a year, which included two three-month layoffs.
Burridge is hopeful a third break would get his lightly-raced grey sprinter back on track, though he has reservations any winning touch will be revealed first-up in the $100,000 Open Benchmark 97 race over 1000m on Friday.
“He had a nice break. There is nothing wrong with him, he’s a horse who goes well fresh,” said the Australian conditioner.
“But he will probably need a couple of runs before he reaches his best form. Whatever he does on Friday, he will improve from that.
“He had one trial with Harry (A’Isisuhairi Kasim) around three weeks ago (October 4) and he went very well. They trialled handy and Harry stopped riding, but they still ran a nice third.
“He was actually supposed to have his comeback around a couple of weeks ago (October 14), in a Kranji Stakes A race over 1100m, but he was scratched.
“I know he’s got better form on turf, but we had to start him off somewhere, especially in this class.
“He’s drawn somewhere in the middle (six). He will just sit back, especially over that distance.”
Carrying 54.5kgs, Jay Eff Express will be partnered by Burridge’s former apprentice jockey A’Isisuhairi, who rode him to one of his five wins. The pair last teamed up in a race on New Year’s Day when they finished out of the placings in a Class 2 race over 1200m.
