Support Charminton
In form and with a handy weight, Logan’s 5YO NZ-bred looks set for fourth success
It has been quite some time – about 10½ months – since his last success, but Charminton is ready to bounce back to the winner’s circle on Sunday.
The Donna Logan-trained and Te Akau Racing Stable-owned five-year-old New Zealand-bred has been knocking on the door again and richly deserves another win.
From his last five starts, the three-time winner has garnered three seconds and a third.
All he needs is some luck to secure that fourth victory from 17 starts – in the $50,000 Class 4 Div 2 race over 1,200m on turf.
He is in top form, as evidenced by his brilliant gallop on the training track on Tuesday. He is drawn well in Gate 4, too.
His regular rider Yusoff Fadzli’s 2kg claim will also reduce his handicap to a handy 53.5kg to give him every chance.
Based on his last-start second to Bestseller in a similar affair on July 23, Charminton is hard to beat.
As we all know, his conqueror is a horse with a very bright future.
He was unlucky to have finished second in all three legs of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge.
The Ricardo Le Grange-trained Australian-bred gained great consolation with an emphatic victory in that Class 4 race on July 23.
He won in a swift 1min 08.85sec for the 1,200m on turf, which bodes well for Charminton.
The latter lost by 1¼ lengths but was splendid time-wise. He clocked 1:09.08.
This makes him the fastest among those who have gone over 1,200m on turf.
In fact, none of his rivals has done a sub-1min 10sec before.
Song Of Nature has won twice over the course and distance – but in 1:10.06 and 1:10.33. However, both were in Class 5, with 56kg and 57.5kg respectively.
On Sunday, the Jason Ong-trained gelding is handicapped at 50kg, though in a grade higher.
Yusoff is happy with his mount’s condition. He is just hoping to get a nice run in transit from the good draw on Sunday.
“He’s getting fitter and fitter. We can see, from his last start, he has made a lot of improvement,” he said.
“Luckily, this week, he has got a nice draw again, and I hope he can jump nicely and sit behind the speed.
“Top of the straight, I just hope he can fire away like a bullet and I can take the picture (at the winner’s enclosure).”
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