Talented trio send out clear messages

Three talents who, with natural progression, could make headlines in the months to come, were the stars on the training track yesterday morning.

They were Billy Elliot, Stenmark and Songgong Hera.

All three have already tasted victory recently and are holding form.

They could be your bankers on Sunday.

From Stephen Gray’s yard, Billy Elliot did not do anything wrong when sent over the 600m in 37.4sec.

The handsome chestnut has been an excellent money-spinner for the St George Stable and his most recent win was nothing short of impressive.

That was on Jan 22 and, in that 1,400m race on grass, jockey Wong Chin Chuen brought him home with a sustained run which began as the field were negotiating the sweeping turn that led them to the top of the straight.

Always looking the winner, he eventually took the honours by one length, beating The Wild Bunch and Salamence.

It came after he had run second to Rambo on Nov 20.

That day, when carrying moderate support and showing a juicy dividend of $41 on the win, Billy Elliot failed by just a nostril to cut into Rambo’s lead.

With the race run over the mile, apprentice Simon Kok Wei Hoong did the steering.

Gray sent him to the trials early last month and it was more like a good stretch-out.

More than anything, it served to trim Billy Elliot to his fighting weight and, while disappointing to his connections, that last-start second was a truly decent effort.

A five-year-old by Per Incanto, Billy Elliot knows what it is like to win races. 

He has won three of his seven starts and, on the two occasions when he finished second, they were by a nose.

Billy Elliot goes over the mile in a race which will pit him against the exciting Kwazii – who finished second on debut – and the likes of Lim’s Bestbreaker and Prodigal.

He is not going to have things served on a silver platter but Gray has got him ticking over nicely and, right now, he rates as the one to beat.

Stenmark, who is down to contest the Class 4 sprint over 1,200m, worked towards that assignment with a good gallop, clocking 37sec for the 600m.

Owned by the Te Akau Racing Stable and now under the care of trainer Donna Logan, Stenmark is better than his resume reads.

One win, three seconds and two thirds from 12 starts. That is his record.

But, on the strength of his last win in November and his last-start second to Seson in his first race this season, he has got much more to offer.

Indeed, had it not been for some “traffic problems” at his last start on Jan 22, he could have made it two on the trot.

But that day, with Jerlyn Seow Poh Hui doing the riding, Stenmark had to race in restricted room near the 200m. Still, and to Stenmark’s credit, he finished a shorthead behind the winner.

Another one of those expensive imports by the Te Akau Racing Stable, Stenmark went under the hammer for $400,000 as a yearling and he had eight starts in Australia for a win, three seconds and a third before being flown out here in late 2020.

As for Songgong Hera, he had Mark Ewe on the reins when running the 600m in 39.1sec.

With two wins from 13 starts, he was beaten last time by Kranji’s rising star Lim’s Kosciuszko.

He has got another tough job ahead of him on Sunday.

He meets two absolute talents in the form of Lucky Jinsha and King Arthur in that sprint over the 1,200m on the Polytrack – and it is going to be tough.

But Songgong Hera works hard for his feed every time he races and he could be the one to give new trainer Richard Lim his first winner. Surely, that would be something to celebrate.