Golden Slipper winner Mossfun’s half-brother Aramco got his Singapore racing career off to a flier on Friday night.
A one-time winner over six furlongs for Team Hawkes at Moonee Valley in June 2015, the son of Magic Albert out of Snitzel mare Eye For Fun, the same dam as Mossfun’s – who incidentally was also prepared by the Hawkes - obviously came with a few big ticks in the pedigree box, but still had it all to prove on debut at Kranji.
New handler Shane Baertschiger had been reasonably confident of a good first run in the $60,000 Class 4 Division 1 race over 1200m going with his preparatory trackwork, but obviously, must always keep fingers crossed nothing untoward happens at this baptism of fire at a different racetrack and under lights.
He needn’t have fretted. Aramco ran like a well-oiled machine, even if there was one kink to be ironed out – his start.
Missing the kick by about one length, Aramco ($9), who was wearing the purple Club colours, quickly caught up to settle in the first few while swift beginner Satellite Man (Nooresh Juglall) took up the running as expected.
But John O’Hara’s bold frontrunner who was bidding for a third win on the trot, had to do it the hard way from his wide gate when Billy Mojo (Syafiq Hazman) and Muscular Sprinter (Olivier Placais) on his inside kicked up, causing him to burn a little bit more gas on the outer before he could find the fence.
Satellite Man looked to be travelling okay on his lonesome afterwards, and even gave the slip turning for home, but Aramco had in the meantime come around Marine Treasure (Glen Boss), ostensibly in a bid not to get hamstrung in traffic if the bunny is too far ahead.
As half-expected, Satellite Man paid the price for his early exertions, and at the 300m, waved the white flag as he became a sitting shot for Aramco. The odds-on favourite could not have asked for anything better as he bore down on the winning post towards the perfect debut.
Two lengths behind, White Coffee (Oscar Chavez) tried to deal a late knockout blow as he let down with a cheeky run, but the margin proved too big to overturn even if he acquitted himself very well to cut it down to only one length on the line.
Though checked twice inside the last two-and-a-half furlongs, Hot Gold (Barend Vorster) still ran on steadily for an unlucky third place another three and a half lengths away. The winning time was 1min 10.04secs for the 1200m on the Long Course.
Baertschiger, who was at a training double, having saddled an earlier winner in I’ve Got A Feeling in Race 3, was evidently pleased with Aramco’s brilliant debut at Kranji.
“He missed the start but he was lucky to get a run though,” said the Australian conditioner.
“He won with something in hand and will definitely improve from that first run. Johnny didn’t pull the whip as we didn’t want to give him a hard run at his first race.
“He raced mainly over short sprints in Australia, though he ran over 1400m at his last couple of starts.
“I will probably test him over 1400m at some stage, but we’ll just let him go through his grades first. He’s a very nice horse.”
