Sacred Gift wins trial in quick time

From yesterday’s trial, Singaporean trainer Jerome Tan is the beneficiary of a good horse from champion trainer Mark Walker, who has returned to New Zealand.

He has taken over the Raffles Racing Stable-owned four-time winner Sacred Gift, who won the final of four trials in a swift 58.81sec at Kranji. 

Even Tan was surprised at the time.

“Didn’t think it was so quick, but it was a good trial. He pulled up well. He’ll be running on Feb 13 in Class 3 over 1,200m Poly,” he said.

Not many trial or race winners dipped below the 59sec mark. 

The course record for the track and distance is 57.70sec set by Poly kingpin Nova Swiss in 2017.

The thing is Sacred Gift won without his rider working overtime. This suggests the horse is on the way back to the winner’s circle.

The six-year-old Australian-bred had 21 starts under Walker for four wins, three seconds and four thirds. He has earned $165,878 in prize money.

Most of Walker’s horses were transferred to fellow Kiwi Donna Logan, who has been successful with Brutus and King Arthur.

Ridden by French jockey Marc Lerner yesterday, Sacred Gift jumped well and tracked the grey My Man and Ablest Ascend. 

Behind him were Gold Star, Starharmony and the five-time unbeaten Lim’s Kosciuszko, who was just out to stretch his legs.

My Man straightened up first via the shortest route home under jockey Oscar Chavez.

Ablest Ascend, who had leading rider Manoel Nunes aboard, went wide. Sacred Gift moved up in tandem, even wider.

Pushed by Chavez, My Man kicked nicely clear. But Sacred Gift narrowed the gap slowly but surely under his own steam. 

He went past the leader within the shadows of the winning post to win by 3/4 lengths. Ablest Ascend, a four-time winner, finished third, 11/2 lengths away.

Sacred Gift rarely runs a bad race. He never finished further than fourth in his last eight starts. 

His last win was on June 19 last year, when he scored in Class 4 over the Poly 1,100m in a smart 1min 04.60sec.

In his last start on Nov 27, the final day of the Singapore racing season, he finished fourth to Heartening Flyer. That was in Class 3 over the Poly 1,200m.

He lost by only about three lengths.

On yesterday’s trial victory, Sacred Gift is certainly on the comeback trail. Watch him in his next assignment. 

The Daniel Meagher-trained newcomer It’s Complex won his second trial yesterday morning to rate as a horse to follow.

Ridden by Danny Beasley, the Lucky Stable-owned five-year-old, who arrived with a rating of 61, was the meat in the sandwich between the leader War

Warrior and The Bullet. Grand Fighter was last. The field was depleted after three horses were scratched.

It’s Complex straightened wide, taking The Bullet along. The trio got back together and It’s Complex went on to beat War Warrior by half a length under a good hold. He clocked 1min 00.71sec.

The South African-bred was also successful in his first trial. That was on Dec 30. He clocked 1min 01.31sec then, also unextended.

He looks a nice type, certainly one for the notebook.

Yesterday’s Kranji barrier trial results:

TRIAL 1
1 Winning Hammer H
2 Anara (S Shafrizal)
3 Knight Command (L Beuzelin)
4 Captain Legacy (M Nunes) 
5 Lim’s Moreready (D Beasley)
Margins and time: 1, 5, 2 1/2, 1 1/4 (59.65sec)

TRIAL 2
1 It’s Complex H (Beasley) 
2 War Warrior (S John)
3 The Bullet (Nunes) 4 Grand Fighter (N Zyrul)
Margins and time: 1/2, 1 1/2, 6 1/4 (1:00.71)

TRIAL 3
1 Boy Next Door (Shafrizal)
2 Konan (Beuzelin) 3 Mo Almighty (Nunes) 
4 Sun Fortress (K Faiz) 5 Lim’s Force (Beasley)
Margins and time: 3/4, 5 3/4, nk, 2 (1:02.44)

TRIAL 4
1 Sacred Gift H (M Lerner)
2 My Man (O Chavez) 
3 Ablest Ascend (Nunes) 4 Gold Star (R Shafiq) 
5 Lim’s Kosciuszko (Beasley) 
6 Starharmony (Beuzelin)
Margins and time: 3/4, 1 1/2, 3 1/4, 1 1/2, 1 (58.81sec)