Christmas comes early for January
After two placings, woman trainer Logan’s three-year-old carves out tenacious win
Hot favourite January has not taken a month of Sundays to break his maiden status, but he did give his backers a few anxious moments on Saturday.
After a debut third on Sept 24, followed by a second placing a fortnight later, the Swiss Ace three-year-old was unsurprisingly backed off the map ($7) to go one better in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden race over 1,400m.
From barrier No. 1, no great navigational skills were really needed from jockey Simon Kok to settle the Donna Logan-trained gelding into the box seat.
The script could not have been written any better with Richaven (Louis-Philippe Beuzelin) and Bestseller (Wong Chin Chuen) going at it hammer and tongs up front.
But they had not reckoned with a roughie springing out of the blue to rattle his cage inside the last 300m.
Never a factor at his previous two starts, Fight On (Jake Bayliss) suddenly found the mood to live up to his name upon straightening.
Surging from last, he came spoiling for a fight with January. The momentum was swinging his way but January did not shirk the challenge to hold a neck margin where it mattered.
Bestseller was entitled to weaken out after the energy-sapping speed duel but stayed on gallantly for third, another two lengths away. The winning time was 1min 22.61sec.
With Logan attending the Magic Millions Gold Coast 2YO In Training sale, her Kranji team has done a good job keeping the stable on top in her absence.
“He did stargaze a little when he hit the front. He’s still immature,” said Logan’s newly-minted stable spokesperson, assistant trainer Hamsha Aloysius.
“I’m sure he’ll get better over time. Maybe, he’ll get more ground in the future, but we’ll stick to seven furlongs (1,400m) for now.
“There is a Novice over 1,400m coming up. Maybe he’ll go up in grade, but we’ll see how he pulls up first.”
Kok has shone multiple times in the sky blue silks of Thai outfit Falcon Racing Stable, but January was the former two-time Singapore champion apprentice jockey’s first 2022 winner for Logan.
“I couldn’t get him closer when he drew wider the first time I rode him (on debut),” said the Malaysian hoop.
“But today, he got there naturally. As the pace was genuine, all I had to do was cuddle him along.
“He was a bit lost at the top of the straight when I brought him halfway out from Bestseller. When I gave him a few slaps, he chased Bestseller very bravely.
“I then gave him a few more reminders to keep his mind on the job. He kept fighting all the way to the line.
“I think he’s a horse who can step up to the mile.”
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