All clear, Rocket Ryane set to launch
After passing bleeders’ test, Le Grange’s charge runs in C4 sprint of season’s finale
Just a day after his “third anniversary” of suffering a bleeding attack, Rocket Ryane sat for his official test and passed it with flying colours.
Trainer Ricardo Le Grange, who captured the Singapore Gold Cup with Hongkong Great last Saturday, would have been proud.
After all, since being unplaced in two outings following that win in May, Rocket Ryane looked to have been running into a rich vein of form. How so? Well, he finished a smack-up third to First Bowl – only to be classified a bleeder after the race.
Rightfully so, the vets slapped him with a three-month ban, which could only be lifted after he passed a bleeders’ test. The ban took effect on Aug 21.
One would have thought that three months of inactivity would have been detrimental to his well being. Well, Rocket Ryane proved us wrong.
Once the three months were up, Le Grange wasted no time in sending his galloper for his mandatory test.
Krisna Thangamani jumped onto the five-year-old, and off they went to face the starter.
Krisna, who steered him to that latest win, jumped him out nicely but kept him on a snug hold.
Out in front, Kranji newbie Big Bear showed the way for Wong Chin Chuen. Heartening Flyer, who had Vlad Duric on the reins, settled in second.
Into the stretch and Big Bear waved the white flag and allowed Heartening Flyer and Kermajack to tussle for the lead.
Showing good action, the Donna Logan-trained Kermajack quickly put Heartening Flyer to the sword and went on to win by a ½-length.
In third spot, Krisna on Rocket Ryane could see it all unfold.
To him and Le Grange, where Rocket Ryane finished was secondary. Having passed the test was a victory in itself.
He can now go to the races – and it must seem like a big deal.
Indeed, Le Grange had already picked out a race for him. It is a $50,000 Class 4 Division 1 sprint over 1,200m and is slated as the 12th race on the programme.
It is an open affair – to bring the curtain down on the 2022 Kranji season – but Rocket Ryane could be worth a flutter.
Track and trip will suit the Australian-bred and, if you are concerned that the lay-off would have added some unwanted kilos to that frame of his, rest assured, that trial on Tuesday would have trimmed off the rough edges.
Another “bleeder” who passed his test was Hosayliao.
He came undone at a race in June and has since been under wraps.
Trainer Richard Lim sent him out on Tuesday morning and, like Le Grange, he would have been mighty pleased that the old fella passed his official test.
A “senior citizen” at Kranji, having raced 58 times, Hosayliao has won four races. The last time the Shaft seven-year-old added money to the kitty was in June, when he ran third to Resurgence in a Class 5 race over the mile.
Saturday’s $30,000 Class 5 race over 1,000m (Race 5) will be a tad too short and sharp for him and there is still a worry that Lim will rest him for another day.
But keep him on your shortlist and watch out for him when he goes over something longer than Saturday’s dash for cash.
Hosayliao is getting long in the tooth but, when in the zone, he still thnks he is a frisky juvenile.
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