Witnessimpact to make stand in Silver Bowl

For sure, the celebrations are still in full swing.

That runaway victory by Witnessimpact in the RM62,000 (S$19,000) Supreme A Stakes over 1,200m on Jan 12 is still being talked about and toasted by his connections.

Add to that the current Chinese New Year shebang, now into its fourth day, and you can bet the “yam seng” toasts have not stopped.

What can Witnessimpact do to keep the party going? Plenty.

For one thing, the son of Star Witness has held his form and Simon Dunderdale, who has been off to a flying start with seven winners this season, must already be thinking of a race-to-race double from his stable star in this winnable sort of race.

The champion trainer has entered the five-year-old gelding in the RM100,000 Wilayah Silver Bowl Trophy which is Race 8 on Feb 2 and he sent Witnessimpact out for some light work on the morning of Jan 30.

A strong canter was all that was necessary to keep those muscles in good order and his mind on the job.

Make no mistake about it. Come raceday, Witnessimpact will be trotted out looking like a winner.

Apprentice jockey Jerlyn Seow retains the ride and she will be full of confidence going into the 1,200m sprint.

After all, Witnessimpact gave her an armchair ride on Jan 12, leading all the way when taking the race by 2½ lengths.

Right now and on paper, this one coming up looks a lot easier.

But, this is racing and nothing is cast in stone.

If you are looking for a threesome for a wager on the tierce, you might want to give Flying Nemo and Gulf Eagle plenty of thought.

Trained by Richard Lines, both of them were out on the training track on Jan 30.

It was a similar sort of workout. Nothing fancy, just some strong cantering to keep them in good order.

Come Feb 2, Laercio de Souza will be legged up on Flying Nemo while Gulf Eagle will have the riding services of Khaw Choon Kit.

After being tried and tested over slightly longer trips than the 1,200m event on Feb 2, Flying Nemo must be given a really good chance.

Sure, it will be the son of Vespa’s first race since Oct 5, 2024 and his first outing in Malaysia since relocating, but do not be put off by his long absence from the racetrack.

The five-year-old won on debut. That was on Oct 8, 2022. If anything, it tells us that he races well fresh.

His last two outings in Singapore were also full of merit. Although the record books show that he took fourth in both events, he was less than two lengths behind the winners both times.

Meanwhile, his stablemate Gulf Eagle is turning out to be quite a star too.

With four wins from just eight starts, he has brought on the cheers.

His wins have been over 1,020m to 1,400m and he is not adverse to rain-affected tracks.

That being the case, should the track at Sungai Besi be inundated by a deluge, the Russian Revolution five-year-old might be the one loving it and soaring in.

Also looking good for the action on Feb 2 are Joju and Lim’s Faber.

Both runners, who will line up in Race 7 and Race 10 respectively, were sent out for light work on the training track and they will have plenty of friends at the betting booths on race day.

Another one from Lines’ yard, Joju’s last two races were full of merit.

The Burgundy seven-year-old was third in a race over the 1,020m sprint on Dec 22 and, at her next start on Jan 4, she finished second over 1,150m.

Could we see a “1” beside her name on Feb 2 when she tackles the 1,200m? It should not come as a huge surprise.

As for Lim’s Faber, he is also gunning for a win after finishing third on July 13 – which was his last outing in Singapore – and second at the Selangor Turf Club on Dec 28.

The next start will be his ninth race and his second up North.

Now trained by Lawson Moy, the Fighting Sun four-year-old is due for victory. So, accord him plenty of respect and you just might end the day’s action on a happy note.

brian@sph.com.sg