City Gold Friend is in sparkling form

If you are on the lookout for a decent outsider to beef up those novelty bets on Feb 17, you might want to keep some cash in reserve and wait for Race 9 on that 11-race programme.

That is when the David Kok-trained City Gold Friend takes on Class 4 rivals in a sprint over 1,200m.

On paper, it might seem like the track and trip could be against him.

But that is what would make him a long shot.

City Gold Friend won two races in the last quarter of the 2023 season, with both races over the middle distance of 1,600m.

He opened his Kranji account on Oct 7 when he beat a competent Open Maiden field rather impressively. With Manoel Nunes entrusted with the reins, City Gold Friend took the lead far from home and cruised in to beat Lim’s Everest by 1½ lengths.

That win was richly overdue as he had placed second or third at his previous five outings.

Kok would have breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Nunes stuck to the reins for City Gold Friend’s next start, which was another 1,600m race on grass.

That time, when backed down to $10, he went down to Top Field, the mount of Bruno Queiroz.

Three weeks later, in a Class 5 race on Nov 11 and with Nunes up, he bounced back to score his second win.

But when sent up to Class 4 on Dec 9, City Gold Friend looked ordinary when he managed to beat just three home under apprentice Clyde Leck in another mile race, which was won by Roda Robot.

Do not hold that against him, though. The son of former Singapore juvenile champion Super One is better than that.

He did impress those on trackside at a hit-out on Feb 14.

With his race-rider Ryan Curatolo in the saddle, City Gold Friend ran the 600m in 42.5sec.

If anything, it was a good stretch-out and it should top him off as he heads for his next assignment.

That trial on Feb 8, when third in a photo finish to Healthy Baby and Commander Jones, was also good stuff.

And that most recent training gallop should have City Gold Friend sufficiently topped up and ready to defy pundits, who are saying the 1,200m could be too short and sharp for him.

If you need more convincing, remember that City Gold Friend has been out of the top three just three times in his 11 outings to date.

That must surely count for something.

Also out on the training track on Valentine’s Day were trainer Kok’s three other runners who will see action on Feb 17.

They were Boss Heng Heng, Hey Boss and Sabah Win.

They have been entered for Races 1, 5 and 7 respectively.

While it is difficult to point you in the direction of the two “Bosses”, Sabah Win does present plenty of appeal. He worked well, running the 600m in 40.4.

As for Boss Heng Heng and Hey Boss, they clocked 40.6 and 39.8 respectively. Both were ridden by Amirul Ismadi.

A one-time winner from 12 starts, Sabah Win has been entered for a Class 5 contest to be run over 1,200m on the alternative surface.

It is a winnable sort of race which Kok has picked for his four-year-old, who has drawn gate 11 in that 12-horse sprint.

It is not ideal but he also drew wide (No. 11) when winning on Nov 25. So, we could still see him in the mix at the business end of things.

brian@sph.com.sg