When Affleck had his first start for Lee Freedman last September, the top Australian trainer was at his Kranji baptism of fire - and he then said that Rome was not built in one day.
It’s now been a year, and Laurie Laxon’s former Singapore juvenile champion (2014) and champion three-year-old (2015) has still not won a race.
On the other hand, Freedman has racked up 46 wins, and currently shares the same number of winners as table-topper Shane Baertschiger on 40, only sitting in second place on a countback for seconds.
Freedman took over the bulk of Singapore nine-time champion trainer Laxon’s string of horses when he kicked off that new chapter to his glittering career last September. After a tentative start, the Australian Hall of Fame trainer has since hit the ground running.
With more than half of his haul of winners coming from former Laxon runners, Freedman showed he had figured out most of his new wards. Affleck has been an exception and an enigma, though.
After beating one home in the Jumbo Jet Trophy (1400m), the Oscar Racing Stable-owned galloper has been just as disappointing at his subsequent three runs for Freedman despite all manners of headgear tinkering.
Running out of options, and at his wit’s end, Freedman went for that panacea for horses struggling to regain their form – a change of scenery. After Affleck won a barrier trial on Tuesday, there was a sense of hope the old spark could be back.
“I think Affleck was just getting sick of being in the confines of the track here. It can be a tight place to be in for a racehorse,” said Freedman.
“That cancer he had in his left hind leg is behind him. That was not an issue anymore.
“In the absence of physical evidence there was anything wrong with him, we decided to send him up to the paddocks in Malaysia – at Sandy Lines’ spelling place in Cameron Highlands.
“He spent three months spelling there, then he did one month of treadmill, then trot. I’m really happy with the way he has come back, he seems to be a happy horse again.”
Affleck was ridden in the barrier trial by Freedman’s apprentice jockey Iskandar Rosman, who rode his first winner on Friday, Tesoro Privado for his boss, followed by a second winner, Elise for Daniel Meagher on Sunday.
“He’s a very good horse. I rode him before and I felt he has improved since he came back,” said the Malaysian rider.
“I let him stride along in the trial. In the straight, I didn’t have to go hard on him and he went in front and won quite easily.”
Stalking up the leader Storm Ryker (Joseph See) throughout, the Battle Paint seven-year-old – who wore only a crossover noseband – drew on level terms upon straightening before going on to win the barrier trial by half-a-length from another high-profile runner, new stablemate Infantry (Vlad Duric).
A recent stable transfer from Alwin Tan, the reigning Singapore Horse of the Year had a quiet time at the back before running on kindly inside the last 300m, a hit-out that bode well for his comeback run in the Moonbeam Vase (1600m) on September 2.
The Tavistock six-year-old last ran in the Kranji Mile (1600m) in which he ran fifth to Hong Kong’s Southern Legend. It was also the last of all his previous 26 starts for Tan for a prolific record of nine wins and 10 placings for stakes earnings a tick under the S$2 million mark for Thai outfit Kajorn Petch Racing No 2 Stable.
“Very happy with both horses. Like I said, I’m still learning about Infantry, but he’s coming along very well,” said Freedman.
“He is heading towards the Moonbeam Vase while Affleck will come back in a Kranji Stakes A race over 1200m on Polytrack one week later on September 7.” -STC