Awesome return from Gold Cup beaten brigade

KUALA LUMPUR - The Selangor Gold Cup formline has stacked up very well at the same Sungai Besi track a fortnight later with three winners and three placings.

Seven from the mile feature field were out to do battle on Sept 21 and 22, with the Gold Cup winner Antipodean not one of them.

The three winners were Berry Bliss (sixth in the Selangor Gold Cup), Awesome Storm (eighth) and Military Flag (ninth) while Golden Pegasus (second), Good Fight (third) and Trigger Pegasus (10th) finished in the money.

Only Cheval Blanc (seventh) missed a minor spot, but still ran creditably for a fourth place behind the Berry Bliss-Golden Pegasus-Good Fight trifecta in a Metro A (1,700m) on Sept 22.

In the process, Berry Bliss, a six-year-old by Charm Spirit outstayed the Cup place-getters to claim his 11th win in 25 starts.

Following his tooth-and-nail fight with Antipodean before going down by a head in the Cup, Golden Pegasus unsurprisingly started odds-on.

Berry Bliss (Clyde Leck) went straight to the front from the start and was joined by Cheval Blanc at the halfway stage. Good Fight and Golden Pegasus were next.

Good Fight made a move round the bend to make a line of three with Berry Bliss ($30) and Cheval Blanc, with Golden Pegasus just tucked in behind them.

At the 300m, Berry Bliss kicked clear, but Golden Pegasus soon threw out a challenge, but was inclined to lay in, just failing to catch Berry Bliss by half-a-length.

“I am extremely happy with his win today,” said trainer Joseph Leck, who won his first race with Berry Bliss in his debut meeting after taking over the gelding from his father Charles in April.

“Berry Bliss has a perfect record second-up, five-from-five.

“He gave me a good feel during trackwork on Friday.

“Going into the race today, I was certain that he would put up a good show. It was a 10-out-of-10 ride by Clyde.

“Kudos to him and the stable syce who looks after the horse.”

The 2022 dual Malaysian champion apprentice and senior jockey was confident Berry Bliss could improve on his Selangor Gold Cup run.

“Good gutsy win by Berry Bliss,” he said.

“I expected him to run a good race considering how well he finished in his last run after missing the start.

“I brought him forward (to the front) and the horse did the rest. Always happy to be on him.”

One day earlier, it was Awesome Storm who duly stamped his class in the Metro A (1,200m) on Sept 21.

The champion sprinter boasts 11 wins, but never beyond 1,400m. So, it was a gallant effort when he set a brisk pace in the Gold Cup 13 days earlier only to fade in the home straight.

With stable apprentice jockey Tuan Ammar claiming 3kg, the Phenomenons seven-year-old took advantage of the 56.5kg on his back to lead from Gamestonks (Leck) on settling down.

The latter came within a length of the leader at the 200m, but Awesome Storm kicked away in the final 100m to win by 2¾ lengths.

He paid a handsome $54 for the win.

Trigger Pegasus ran third while Macau Derby winner Mega Gems came in fourth at his Malaysian debut.

“Awesome showed his class today,” said trainer Simon Dunderdale.

“He finally went around with a reasonable weight and was able to dictate in front, which is his forte. Well done to my apprentice Ammar who rode a confident race.”

Said Ammar, who rode Awesome Storm three times previously without success: “He just loved the (yielding) going today.”

A one-time winner in Australia, Awesome Storm has brought his record to 12 wins in 29 starts in Malaysia. SLTC