Race 7 on Friday night sent shockwaves at Kranji when $692 rank-outsider Pioneer Seven went all the way to show his 11 better-fancied rivals a clean set of heels in the $80,000 Class 3 speed dash over 1000m.
The last time the former Polytrack flier won a race was three years ago in a highly-rated Kranji Stakes A race over 1100m defeating sprinting stalwarts of the time like Huka Falls, Rapido Star and Ronnie Brown.
The Mok Zhan Lun-trained son of Flying Pegasus slowly slipped into oblivion afterwards. He ran 21 times again without saluting, had a one and half year stint with trainer Shane Baertschiger without any better luck, though there was the odd spark.
Owner Chionh Teck Swee then brought him back to Mok at the end of 2016, but it looked like they were going around in circles. The three-digit odds at his six runs since his comeback told the tale.
But Mok refused to think he was finished. His perseverance was rewarded with a win that might have defied the gelding’s recent poor runs, but not a certain logic, according to Mok.
“I think the gear change helped him tonight. We dropped the pacifiers, earmuffs and tongue-tie and put a crossover noseband on instead,” said the Singaporean handler.
“He also seemed to enjoy the newly-rewaxed Polytrack. He jumped well tonight, he didn’t fly-jump and he got the lead easily.
“I would also say that the fact he is now older, he was much more relaxed. He has also dropped off the ratings, and that helped.
“Look, he’s a horse who has always had ability in these types of races and it was good to see him bounce back to that old form tonight. I gave him a place chance and Benny Woodworth rode him a treat.”
The Malaysian hoop, who rode him for the first time at his last start when a distant last to Aramco, looked slightly taken aback by the win, but said it was in the end a simple formality once he secured the lead.
“The horse jumped good, even if he banged the side of the gates,” said Woodworth.
“He was travelling so well tonight. I just took a sit on him and pushed him in the home straight.
“He found another gear and went all the way. If you compare that run and his last run, they were two totally different performances.”
From the pack, Super Six (Troy See) and Golden Tomahawk (Shafiq Rizuan) made a vain attempt to reel Pioneer Seven in, but could only finish as placegetters, running second and third respectively, around 1 ½ lengths astern. The winning time was a slick 58.07 seconds, only 0.31 second outside the record established by Northern Lion in 2011.
Pioneer Seven, whose stakes earnings froze around the $350,000 mark for a long time, has now added another $45,000 in the kitty which will edge him closer to the $400,000 mark.
