Missile Rain should be ready for launch

Jason Ong has been one patient trainer – especially with his newcomer, Missile Rain.

He has, since last November, sent his charge to six trials with the last one, on Tuesday morning, being the most impressive.

Here is how it went.

With jockey Koh Teck Huat – or TH Koh as he is better known in racing circles – doing the navigating, Missile Rain turned in a decent performance to take the honours in the first of three trials.

Jumping cleanly from Gate 2, Koh had him sitting behind the pace set by Kranji Jewel, who had front-running jockey Mohd Zaki in the saddle.

Hitting the 600m, Koh took Missile Rain to the front and, from then, he dictated things.

Legacy Reign, another newcomer who is being prepared by Leslie Khoo, tried to make a race of it but Missile Rain would have nothing of that. 

Scrubbed along by Koh over the concluding stages, he held his advantage to win by 11/4 lengths.

Kranji Jewel stayed on for third, half a length in arrears.

But back to the winner of the hit-out, is Missile Rain ready for launch?

His trainer preferred to err on the side of caution.

“I won’t say it was a fantastic trial,” said Ong, who only last week saddled Song Of Nature to take out the day’s Maiden event. “But it was a decent showing.

“I got him as a yearling and the reason I sent him for six trials since November was to get him going. You know, educated.

“He has run fourth previously and yes, this was an improvement.”

So, on the strength of the trial, how did he expect Missile Rain to fare in his racing debut?

“Yes, I have entered him for the Open Maiden on Saturday and I will say that he won’t run a bad race. 

“Of course, I will be hoping for the best. But, whatever the result, the education continues.”

Missile Rain is a four-year-old who will be racing in the colours of the Warplan Racing Stable.

While we know that the silks will always “belong” to War Affair, they were more recently worn by Smoke And Mirrors, who won for Ong two Saturdays ago.

Perhaps the trend will continue.

As for the runner-up, Legacy Reign, he was tardy out of the gates and, for the initial 400m, he looked to be plodding along.

But Oscar Chavez soon got to work on him and Legacy Reign was getting into his stride when the finish line loomed.

Yet to show up in a race, he, too, has run in numerous trials – four to be exact – and he could be something on debut.

Keep an eye also on Flashfast. From Donna Logan’s yard, he had a good hit-out in Trial 2.

Ridden by apprentice Muhammad Yusoff Fadzli and jumping from an outside gate, he took charge at the get-go and never surrendered that lead.

Sing Our Song, the mount of Ronnie Stewart, closed in rapidly over the final furlong but Flashfast held on to win by the skin of his teeth.

A three-year-old Australian-bred, it was the second time in four that Flashfast has been successful at the trials.

He was a winner on Feb 10, beating Samurai Express by half a length. 

That day he clocked a good time of 60.20sec for the trip, much better than yesterday’s 62.02sec.

As for runner-up, Sing Our Song, he seems to be coming along nicely. 

Yet to have a race in the 2022 season, Tuesday’s trial was his fourth for the year and the best we have seen of him in recent times.

Tuesday’s Kranji barrier trial results:

TRIAL 1
1 Missile Rain (TH Koh)
2 Legacy Reign (O Chavez) 
3 Kranji Jewel (M Zaki) 
4 Anpanman 

Margins and time: 
1 1/4, 1/2, 4 1/4 (1min 01.35 sec)

TRIAL 2
1 Flashfast (F Yusoff)
2 Sing Our Song (R Stewart)
3 Master Player (R Shafiq)
4 Blitz Power (Koh)
5 Harvest Time (I Saifudin)
6 Stenmark (Chavez)

Margins and time: 
Ns, 1, 2 3/4, 251/4, 261/2 (1:02.02)

TRIAL 3
1 Silent Is Gold ( Yusoff)
2 Eagle Eye

3 Allegro (M Ewe)
4 One Way Ticket (Saifudin)
5 Tigarous (Shafiq)
6 Anyway (T Rehaizat) 

Margins and time: 
3/4, 3/4, ns, nk, 1 (1:02.49)