Ace Of Diamonds comes up trumps

For the longest time, Bestseller was the Javiers’ original marquee horse, their first Singapore Group winner.

The Filipino owners can now count on another drawcard, Ace Of Diamonds, who notched their third big prize in the $110,000 Group 3 Singapore Three-Year-Old Sprint (1,200m) on April 6.

Bestseller’s seconds in all three legs of the 2023 Singapore 3YO Challenge are well documented, but Ace Of Diamonds made up for it right off the bat at his very first stab at 3YO glory.

South African trainer Ricardo Le Grange – who also prepared Bestseller to land the 2023 Group 3 Colonial Chief Stakes (1,700m) and 2024 Group 3 Committee’s Prize (1,600m) – had long complimented Bestseller as a horse who was long overdue for an elite win.

Similar praise was heaped on Ace Of Diamonds after he came off a less than trouble-free journey to still put his peers to the sword in the first 3YO feature of the season.

“What more can I say? He’s probably as good as I thought he is,” said Le Grange.

“To Sandy and Karen (Javier), they’re great patrons of the game. They deserve such a smart horse.”

With Ace Of Diamonds scoring three wins between 1,200m and 1,400m from Restricted Maiden to Class 4, through Novice grade, Patrick Shaw’s former right-hand man soon cottoned on to the son of Swiss Ace as his 2024 3YO redemption ticket from Bestseller’s narrow misses.

Punters had thought alike, sending him out as the $14 favourite in the small but select nine-horse field, despite drawing out (eight).

As a result, jockey Bruno Queiroz did not enjoy an armchair ride in the first two-thirds of the event.

Caught in the cheap seats, Ace Of Diamonds was overracing around four lengths off the expected leader Mission Five (Jaden Lloyd).

But looks can be deceiving. Once Queiroz cut the ribbons, the magnificent athlete put in the big bounds on the outside, albeit he was not alone.

Last season’s top two-year-old Greatham Boy had every chance after racing on the pace, but was flat to the boards when fly-in jockey Daniel Moor popped the question at the top of the straight.

However, the rallies from Last Supper (Ryan Curatolo), Bakeel (Manoel Nunes), Strike Gold (Carlos Henrique) and rank outsider Artillery (Vitor Espindola) had a lot more bite inside the last 200m.

But, try as they might, they could not trouble Ace Of Diamonds, who hit the line with one length to spare.

A line of three fought out the battle for the minors, with Artillery getting the nod by a head from Bakeel, who beat Last Supper to a podium finish by a similar margin.

The winning time was a moderate 1min 9.57sec for the 1,200m on the short course.

Le Grange was just happy to soak in another Group win, with Strike Gold’s closing fifth also boding well for the longer 3YO legs (1,400m and 1,600m).

“My horse did it a bit tough today, the draw was not ideal, and racing on the C course made it really tough,” he said.

“It’s really tough for these horses to be out there in those Group races. I’ve been here since 2001 and it’s the first time I’ve seen a feature race run on the C course, but that’s a story for another day.

“With a horse like that, I’ve brought him back from 1,400m. I had to freshen him up, put a bit of speed into his legs.

“I thought he was a bit strong. I think the second and third legs will be well within his reach.

“We just keep training him as per normal, keep him out of harm’s way and enjoy the ride.”

The next assignment is the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1,400m) on April 27, followed by the Group 2 Singapore Guineas (1,600m) on May 18.

With a brace, thanks to Lim’s Smythe ($22) four races earlier, Queiroz was cementing his first place on the log, two winners clear of defending champion Nunes.

But more pointedly, that 54th Kranji win at the Brazilian jockey’s second Singapore season brought up a first Group accolade here.

“I’m very happy. I had one dream to win a Group race in Singapore, today is perfect,” said the winner of 14 Group 1 races in Brazil.

The 22-year-old man from Rio did not fail to give a shout-out to his loved ones at this new milestone, without leaving out a famous name, “Magic Man” Joao Moreira.

“I’d like to thank Joao Moreira. He was behind me coming here,” said the four-time Singapore champion jockey’s godson.

“He’s riding in Japan today, not sure if he’s watching. I’d also like to thank my family and my girlfriend in Brazil for their support.”

Unfortunately, his red-letter day was marred by a one-day suspension for causing Greatham Boy to check at the 300m. He will miss the April 13 meeting.

manyan@sph.com.sg