Implement shoots down Rocket Star
Michael Clements-trained 5YO Irish-bred leads all the way and outlasts Rocket Star by just a nose
After being beaten by just a nose and then a short head in the first two races at Kranji yesterday, jockey Louis-Philippe Beuzelin heaved a huge sigh of relief when his luck turned in the third race.
This time, his Michael Clements-trained mount, Implement, kept up a sustained effort to last by the narrowest of margins from the $8 favourite Rocket Star in the $50,000 Class 4 event over 1,600m on the Long Course E.
The Frenchman had ridden big outsider Jupiter Dragon, who paid $47 for a place, to a nose second behind Sun Formation in the opener.
He was then beaten by a short head on the Clements-trained newcomer Latent Power by the Stephen Gray-trained newbie Heavenly Dancer.
It was certainly a sense of deja vu for Beuzelin for turning the tables on Vlad Duric. The champion jockey edged him out on Heavenly Dancer and he got to avenge that defeat by beating the Duric-ridden Rocket Star by a nose. A tit-for-tat.
But most would agree that Latent Power was decidedly unlucky to be nabbed on the line.
He was drawn second-widest and was caught very wide, covering unnecessary ground and was only caught in the last stride.
Latent Power is certainly a horse to follow.
Back to Implement, the five-year-old Irish-bred was also drawn second-widest but Beuzelin managed to secure the rabbit's role rather easily.
But jockey JP van der Merwe made a quick move to take Clarton Palace to eyeball Implement at the bend. Then came Glory Shine, Circuit Star, Murrayfield and Rocket Star.
Clarton Palace was no threat on straightening. It was left to Duric to niggle Rocket Star up to provide the challenge but he had some lengths to catch up.
He gave his legion of supporters plenty to cheer, but, alas, he came just short by a nose.
"After twice beaten by a nose, I was getting a bit angry there," said Beuzelin, who went on to take Race 7 on the Hideyuki Takaoka-trained Carnelian and the last race on the Clements-trained Trapio.
"It was really tight, really close. My horse fought out the whole straight and, honestly, it was a photo-finish.
"He's tough as nails but had a very bad draw. I had to do a bit of an effort to find myself in front. Once, I got him to relax and got a breather, JP came pretty quickly to him, you know.
"At the 600m, he had quickened already, made my horse do an effort a bit, so I tried to keep as much in the tank as possible.
"And, when I asked him to quicken, he really changed gears and kept going. When I saw Vlad coming, I thought - well, it's going to be close - but he really stuck his neck out."
Clements praised Beuzelin's jockeyship and was pleased that Implement managed to hold on to the line on the long course.
"It was a good ride - to lead on the long course and just hold on," said Clements. "He was shortheaded into second in the first two races, so I think he was pretty nervous it was about to happen again, but he has got up to win and it was great."
On Latent Power, Clements feels his horse was a little underdone and will definitely improve from the debut run.
"Look, you know, he has been a very difficult horse to prepare. He's a headstrong, powerful horse and we had the reason with the soft preparation coming into the race.
"Yeah, great effort. He will come on with that run. I think, if he had got a barrier, he probably would have won the race."
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