Infantry (outer)
Singapore Turf Club
Champion trainer Alwin Tan’s love story with the Merlion Trophy is giving no signs of letting up after he captured the sprint feature for the fourth time with Infantry (NZ) (Tavistock) on Sunday, even saddling the quinella for good measure with even-money favourite Nova Swiss (NZ) (Swiss Ace) a close second.
Four years after obtaining his trainer’s licence in late 2009, Tan won his first ‘black type’ race in the then Group 3 race (2013) with Speedy Cat, going on to add two more to his collection with Polytrack champion El Padrino in the next two years. Last year when the first Leg of the Singapore Sprint Series was for the first time elevated to Group 2 status, the now-retired El Padrino was denied a three-in-a-row by Spalato, who incidentally took over that Polytrack mantle from him, largely thanks to that solitary win.
The Singaporean trainer’s affinity with the race was again evident this year when he carded a trio of runners led by the unbeaten (in five runs) Nova Swiss, but it was second-elect Infantry ($32) who came with a wet sail on the outside to inflict Nova Swiss his first taste of defeat by a neck.
Wimbledon (Vlad Duric), who was also well-supported and started as joint second favourite with Infantry, was the one who led after he speared over from his wide barrier to settle on the plastic from Nova Swiss (Olivier Placais) while The General (Nooresh Juglall) sat in the box-seat in third.
All this while, Brazilian jockey Manoel Nunes had Infantry, who was first-up since this third place in the Group 3 Colonial Chief Stakes (1700m), in a midfield berth travelling relaxed on the bit.
At the point of turn, Nova Swiss came testing Wimbledon and the pair soon locked horns for a tense duel that gradually saw the hotpot wearing the China Horse Club ward down.
While the Swiss Ace three-year-old normally puts the race to bed at that juncture, taking on older and better horses made it a different proposition this time round. Wimbledon was not abdicating that easily, but the momentum was still in Nova Swiss’s favour.
But Nunes, who knows Nova Swiss like the back of his hand for having been his rider throughout his winning streak, had other ideas as he brought Infantry with a well-timed run to just deny his stable companion. It may have felt bittersweet for Tan to see Nova Swiss find one better for the first time, but either way, the Singaporean handler had a fourth Merlion Trophy nicely ensconced in his trophy cabinet.
Wimbledon did very well to hang on for third place while the run of the race had to be awarded to Good News (Benny Woodworth) who flew home late as a $181 smokie to run fourth another three parts of a length away.
Tan’s third runner Cavallo (John Sundradas, $165) was not totally out of the picture with a closing fifth another three-quarter length away. The winning time was 1min 10.95secs for the 1200m on Polytrack.
Tan was beaming at the prize presentation, and understandably so. Though he had all along given Nova Swiss a slight edge over Infantry, he was certainly not going to be too picky over the reversed order of the 1-2 result.
Four years after obtaining his trainer’s licence in late 2009, Tan won his first ‘black type’ race in the then Group 3 race (2013) with Speedy Cat, going on to add two more to his collection with Polytrack champion El Padrino in the next two years. Last year when the first Leg of the Singapore Sprint Series was for the first time elevated to Group 2 status, the now-retired El Padrino was denied a three-in-a-row by Spalato, who incidentally took over that Polytrack mantle from him, largely thanks to that solitary win.
The Singaporean trainer’s affinity with the race was again evident this year when he carded a trio of runners led by the unbeaten (in five runs) Nova Swiss, but it was second-elect Infantry ($32) who came with a wet sail on the outside to inflict Nova Swiss his first taste of defeat by a neck.
Wimbledon (Vlad Duric), who was also well-supported and started as joint second favourite with Infantry, was the one who led after he speared over from his wide barrier to settle on the plastic from Nova Swiss (Olivier Placais) while The General (Nooresh Juglall) sat in the box-seat in third.
All this while, Brazilian jockey Manoel Nunes had Infantry, who was first-up since this third place in the Group 3 Colonial Chief Stakes (1700m), in a midfield berth travelling relaxed on the bit.
At the point of turn, Nova Swiss came testing Wimbledon and the pair soon locked horns for a tense duel that gradually saw the hotpot wearing the China Horse Club ward down.
While the Swiss Ace three-year-old normally puts the race to bed at that juncture, taking on older and better horses made it a different proposition this time round. Wimbledon was not abdicating that easily, but the momentum was still in Nova Swiss’s favour.
But Nunes, who knows Nova Swiss like the back of his hand for having been his rider throughout his winning streak, had other ideas as he brought Infantry with a well-timed run to just deny his stable companion. It may have felt bittersweet for Tan to see Nova Swiss find one better for the first time, but either way, the Singaporean handler had a fourth Merlion Trophy nicely ensconced in his trophy cabinet.
Wimbledon did very well to hang on for third place while the run of the race had to be awarded to Good News (Benny Woodworth) who flew home late as a $181 smokie to run fourth another three parts of a length away.
Tan’s third runner Cavallo (John Sundradas, $165) was not totally out of the picture with a closing fifth another three-quarter length away. The winning time was 1min 10.95secs for the 1200m on Polytrack.
Tan was beaming at the prize presentation, and understandably so. Though he had all along given Nova Swiss a slight edge over Infantry, he was certainly not going to be too picky over the reversed order of the 1-2 result.