Ong first time on top

A treble propelled up-and-coming trainer Jason Ong to the top of the standings for the first time in his budding career on Saturday.

The 35-year-old Singaporean handler should literally be feeling on top of the world.

But his neutral, almost deadpan, tone as he greeted Smoke And Mirrors ($17), the third pin of a hat-trick that took his score to 28 wins, betrayed his mixed feelings.

“I’ve been training for 3½ years. I began my first season in September and obviously, didn’t have many winners (seven),” said Ong who took over his former boss Bruce Marsh in 2019.

“Subsequently, I started climbing up the ladder with a lot of hard work and business investment.

“I think I’ve improved a lot and it’s rewarding to sit on top of the table for the first time.

“But it’s at the same time a bittersweet feeling because racing will end soon.

“What’s the point if I can’t bring that resume anywhere in Singapore?

“As a trainer in the next 15 months, I just want to win as many races for my owners and hopefully end my career on a good note.”

Ong trains for a variety of owners, such as his own father Ong Boon Hin (Warplan Racing) of War Affair fame, Happy Baby Stable or TTS Stable.

None of them are exactly powerhouses, but on Saturday, Ong sealed a first winning combination with a much bigger name – not just at Kranji but worldwide – in the King Power Stable.

The Thai outfit was founded in 2017 by late billionaire Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha, who died in a helicopter crash in October 2018, and was succeeded by his son, Aiyawatt.

Their racing empire began in the UK where the top earners include Winter Power and The Foxes, named after their English Premier League side Leicester City.

Locally, they are better known for 2021 Kranji Mile winner Minister. On June 8, Cavalry made a smashing introduction towards a Singapore Derby tilt for trainer Michael Clements next Sunday.

With King Power known for diversifying their racing portfolio, they picked Ong to train I Am Invincible four-year-old Akhtar 12 months ago.

A one-time Sydney winner, the entire was, however, no good-to-go proposition, even if he brimmed with quality.

Ong, who actually briefly prepared a King Power horse once, was not going to cut corners with their new precious charge. The launch finally came in Saturday’s $50,000 Class 4 race (1,100m).

“The reason this horse took one year to have his debut is because of his barrier manners, Covid-19 and so on,” he said.

“They sent me a filly two years ago, Sweet Tapit, who then moved to Mark Walker. But this one is a much better horse.

“A lot of work has gone into him at the gates, though. I was impressed how he has improved and all the credit should go to (chief starter) John Pepe.

“He was still a bit slow out of the gates at his last trial, but he jumped on terms today.

“I’m really happy with that first win. Hopefully he can win more races for the owner.”

Akhtar ($7) defeated War Frontier (Wong Chin Chuen) by 2¼ lengths with Lim’s Zoom (Faiz Khair) another ½-length away in third. The winning time was 1min 5.3sec for the 1,100m.

Ong’s first win came in the opener of the 12-race programme via Opunake ($11). All three winners were ridden by Nunes.

“We got three winners, but having Manoel on does give you that extra edge,” he said.

Third before the meeting, Ong overtook Michael Clements to be tied with Jason Lim, but sits atop on a countback for seconds.

Lim’s seven runners were withdrawn, after an 18-month ban with immediate effect was meted out on Wednesday for his horse Takhi returning positive to a steroid.

Lim has appealed, but a stay of sentence was denied by the Singapore stewards.

Saturday's Singapore Results:  results16.pdf