Stable queue-up for Donna Logan's trio

It was the Donna Logan juggernaut on show in the final trial on Tuesday morning.

She had three in the seven-horse hit-out. One more than Ricardo Le Grange and two more than Stephen Gray and Jerome Tan.

And she made those numbers count. 

Her trio came down the stretch – left, right and centre. And there was nothing the rest could do.

Job done, the winner Charminton, second-placed Legacy Fortune and third-placed Implement flexed their muscles as they trotted back to the yard.

Logan would have been pleased.

So, too, Manoel Nunes.

Back after a break due to injury, the popular Brazilian was astride Legacy Fortune and, while we willed him to win, it was not to be.

Legacy Fortune had tracked fourth when the horses made that sweeping turn on the far side.

Into the stretch and fanning out for the run home was Nunes – balanced perfectly as always and seemingly in control.

To his left, he would have seen Jerlyn Seow hugging the rails and making a race of it on Implement.

To his right – and yet out of his line of vision – was Charminton, who was under a ride by leading apprentice jockey Yusoff Fadzli.

The finish in sight, Nunes tried to coax his mount home. 

But the momentum was with Charminton, who – driven hard – went on to score by three parts of a length in 60.71 seconds.

Nunes had to settle for second, while Logan’s other horse in the trinity – Implement – stayed on for third.

Charminton is truly a horse on the up and up. 

Four starts. Two wins and two seconds. It is the kind of stuff owners and trainers dream about.

As for the young apprentice, who knows? He might even sleep with a picture of Charminton under his pillow. And no one will think it odd.

After all, since Day 1, Yusoff has been associated with the horse, partnering him in two trials – which he won – and four races.

In his last start on Aug 14, punters sent Charminton and Yusoff off as joint top pick and the pair thoroughly justified all that confidence. 

They rattled home from deep midfield to beat Buuraq by half a length.

Watch him at his next start. He looks the real deal.

A pity Nunes did not take the trial on Legacy Fortune. 

But that is just sentimental talk.

The positive to take from that showing is not that Legacy Fortune took second. 

It was that Nunes is close to being back at his best.

He has been sorely missed by the Kranji faithful, who will linger by the rails at the mounting yard, as if watching and waiting for a sign from the Brazilian horseman.

Even a smile will suffice – and they usually get it.

Well, Nunes will be back sooner rather than later. 

He has already got 58 winners and he is hardly done yet.

So, what can be said of Legacy Fortune?

Logan will say he is a good one to have in the yard and she will not be wrong.

An Irish-bred, the three-year-old has already landed a winning blow at Kranji.

And that was just his fifth start.

Yes, the chestnut does know how to win.

Three times before, in Ireland, he had greeted the judge. All were over the 1,005m trip. 

But we now know that he is not a one-trick pony.

Legacy Fortune can win over the longer distance – like 1,400m – and it will be interesting to see the kind of race Logan hands him at his next start.

Tuesday’s Kranji barrier trial results:

TRIAL 1
1 Sayonara (K. A’Isisuhairi) 
2 Zoffspeed (T. Krisna) 3 Sunday 
4 Silent Force (W.H. Kok) 
Margins and time: Hd, 83/4, hd
(1 min 03.23 sec)

TRIAL 2
1 Gold Reward (Krisna) 2 Sacred Suite (M. Akmazani) 3 The Wild Bamboo (T.H. Koh) 4 From The Navy (M. Kellady) 5 King’s Speech (Kok) 6 Infinite Wisdom 
(B. Woodworth) 7 Super Extreme (A’Isisuhairi) Margins and time: 
3/4, shd, shd, 1/2, 2 1/4 (1:01.20)

TRIAL 3
1 Charminton (F. Yusoff) 
2 Legacy Fortune (M. Nunes)
3 Implement (P.H. Seow)
4 Sacred Judgement (Akmazani) 5 Nordic Gem 
(B. Pinheiro) 6 Prioritize (A’Isisuhairi) 7 Everest (Krisna) Margins and time: 3/4, 1/2, nk, 1/2, 1/2, 13    (1:00.71)