‘Jason Ong stable is airborne’

After Roda Robot flashed past the winning post on Sunday to give trainer Jason Ong his fourth 2023 treble, Singapore Turf Club racecaller Scott Bailey paid the best compliment.

“Jason Ong stable is airborne. What can’t Jason Ong do at the moment?” praised the former Australian jockey-turned assistant trainer-turned racing broadcaster.

With his three winners – the other two being Sirius and Top Field – Ong has occupied the driver’s seat in the trainers’ premiership table – for the second time in 2023.

After his third treble of the season on July 15 – courtesy of Akhtar, Opunake and Smoke And Mirrors – Ong found himself at the top of the table for the first time in his 4½-year career, with 28 winners.

He was subsequently overtaken by 2020 champion Michael Clements and reigning King of Kranji Tim Fitzsimmons.

But, on Sunday, Ong regained the lead in one fell swoop.

His three winners have brought his season’s tally to 36 winners, two ahead of Clements. Fitzsimmons is third, on 32 victories.

Ong, 35, is ecstatic that he is on a roll, of course.

But the genial Singaporean trainer knows that, although there are only about four months left in the season, the path to a first championship is not easy.

It boils down to numbers.

“Just running a bit of luck, but I don’t really have the numbers. I have a smaller team than the few top trainers,” said Ong, who has 40 horses in his yard.

“It seems we are gaining a lot of good momentum this season. So, hopefully, the horses do us good and I can carry on to the end of the season as well.

“But it’s a shame what’s happening to this place. I am just hoping that, in the event of a closure, I can at least end it well before we call it an end.

“I’ve been working really hard. This is my fifth year. The first year was really building up the business, the second and third year Covid-19 hit us.

“I am really hoping I can do well, I have worked really hard and it is reflected on the results. But the announcement of the closure came as a huge disappointment.”

Singapore racing will cease in October 2024, with the 120ha of land occupied by theKranjiracecourseto be returned to the Government for redevelopment.

When he took over from his mentor Bruce Marsh, who returned to New Zealand in 2019, Ong saddled seven winners. He tallied 18 wins in 2020, 26 in 2021, 33 in 2022 and 36 so far in 2023.

He went into Sunday’s meeting with 13 runners in nine races.

He knew he had some nice horses and it was indeed a good day at the office for him – with three wins, a second and two thirds.

“I was expecting a good week because I had quite a few horses that I like – like Sirius, which won, Top Field, which won, and also Roda Robot,” he said.

Roda Robot’s runaway three-length win under leading jockey Manoel Nunes in the $30,000 Class 5 race over 1,600m was a training feat.

The horse, who had three seconds over 1,400m, was running three races within 14 days – Aug 6, 13 and 20.

The step-up to 1,600m was obviously the winning formula.

“He’s a horse who improves with racing and he lost to some really nice horses, like his last start to Tim Fitzsimmons’ Gold Governor,” said Ong.

“He just needs to be raced frequently to get the momentum right, or else he would get too fresh.

“I always knew he would get better over distance – running over 1,200m and 1,400m were probably a bit sharp for him.

“Stepping up to the mile was ideal and the tempo was really great for him as well. With Nunes on board, I was pretty sure he would run a good race.”

Mission accomplished, Roda Robot has earned a well-deserved rest.

“He’s had a bit of racing and, from the way he won, I think he’s still a horse in the making,” said the trainer.

“He has got the confidence and he knows what he’s doing already. So, at this stage, I wouldn’t push him too fast.

“I will keep him easy for a couple of weeks and go from there.”

If there was one that “got away”, it would have been his smart debut runner-up Toh Guan Treasure in the $75,000 Restricted Maiden Division 2 event over 1,200m.

As luck would have it, the horse began awkwardly and shifted in abruptly and made heavy contact with Flying Success, who also jumped out abruptly.

The incident resulted in jockey Koh Teck Huat becoming badly unbalanced and dislodged from Toh Guan Treasure.

Luckily, Koh, who resumed riding only recently after fracturing his left thumb and index finger in another fall, did not suffer any serious injuries.

“He’s okay. I went down to the casualty room to have a look at him. He just has a bit of sore back.,” said Ong.

“He is suspended this week and there is no racing the following week, so he should have time to nurse his health back.”