Trainer Michael Clements was surprised a horse like Knight Chen Bay was sold to Singapore, but was certainly not complaining as he was the lucky beneficiary.
The Zimbabwean-born handler said he could not believe his eyes when Hong Kong owner Alan Leung, who already had handy three-time winner Knight Wager with him as well as Knight Harlook, still a maiden in four starts, sent him the resume of his latest Melbourne purchase.
Known as Chen Bay when prepared by Allan and Jason Williams in Cranbourne, Knight Chen Bay (as he was renamed), ran three seconds in as many starts in and around Victoria.
No doubt two of them came in country Sale, but the Hinchinbrook three-year-old did run on for second in city company at Sandown, ridden by Allan’s son Melbourne champion jockey Craig Williams. It was in a 1300m race whereas his two seconds at Sale were over 1100m.
Granted, past records do not always stack up when a horse moves to a new country, but Knight Chen Bay has done nothing but pleased Clements since his arrival at the end of March, franking that first impression with an easy debut win in Sunday’s $65,000 Initiation race over 1200m.
“I was just telling someone ‘What’s wrong with the people in Australia? Why would they get rid of a horse who had three seconds in three starts?” said Clements, clearly baffled by Australian owners’ criteria for quality retention.
“And he did it at good tracks. I think they wanted to send him to Hong Kong but he didn’t pass the vet test.
“They ended up sending him here, and the horse had no problem and was passed. Hong Kong’s veterinarian protocol is too strict, but it’s turned out to be our gain.”
Clements said that early promise shown in Victoria was reproduced to a tee in Singapore, helped manifold by his ease of adaptation.
“He’s not been here long, but he has acclimatised very well,” said Clements.
“He has impressed in everything that he’s done. He’s shown me he was more of a 1400m horse and perhaps a miler, but I thought he would be smart enough to win a Maiden 1200m first-up.
“Michael (Rodd) told me he was caught in a pocket on the rails and had to come out early, but in hindsight, he is more of a chaser as he started to stargaze when he hit the front.”
Punted down to $9 favouritism, Knight Chen Bay landed snugly on the fence from barrier No 1, before being angled out at the top of the straight to collar race-leader Changbai Mountain (John Powell).
Knight Chen Bay’s qualities immediately rose to the fore as he accelerated under Rodd’s urgings to defeat Changbai Mounatin by 1 ¼ lengths with outsider Maximus (Oscar Chavez) running on late for third another 1 ½ lengths away. The winning time was 1min 10.38secs for the 1200m on the Short Course.
