Titanium (A'Isisuhairi Kasim) motors home for James Peters' first Group win in the Stewards' Cup.
Singapore Turf Club
Young trainer James Peters claimed his first feature race win after Titanium (NZ) (Tavistock) plotted a winning path to the line as the widest runner in the $300,000 Group 2 Stewards' Cup (1400m) at Kranji on Sunday.
Peters nearly got off to a dream start with the same Titanium, though, two days only after he launched his career, when beaten a head by longshot In Fact in the Group 3 JBBA Moonbeam Vase (1800m).
The Tavistock four-year-old has since been spelled, and that freshen-up was exactly what Peters was capitalising on at his racing comeback in the first Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge.
The horror gate in 15 did not ruffle him at all as Titanium is well known to be a swooper. The change of rider after Manoel Nunes was stood down was also just a minor kink. He managed to get an able pair of hands in A'Isisuhairi Kasim.
Getting the perfect pairing in the bumper 16-horse field was only a small battle won. The bigger battle was the race itself, but Titanium simply proved to be made of another metal on that day.
As agreed with Peters, A'Isisuhairi quietly parked Titanium at the rear and never looked in a rush to improve while the usual suspects for the pacesetting job rolled along upfront.
Kiwi Karma (Vlad Duric) led after overcoming her wide barrier, but she soon confirmed the fears of those who thought she was a touch suspect over seven furlongs. Rank outsider Bring Money Home (Mohd Zaki) briefly courted with a most unlikely upset of the applecart when he was the first to collar the mare upon straightening, but as brave as his run was, his time at the top was shortlived.
The challenges were then hailing from everywhere.
The two outsiders locked horns for an end-scenario to the Stewards' Cup not many would have foreseen, but it was Titanium who finished the best as he drew clear for a most authoritative 2 ½-length win from My Lucky Strike.
Believe Yourself ran third another short head away, a head in advance of Majestic Moments. Completely ignored in the market at huge odds of $197, Titanium ran the 1400m on the Long Course in 1min 22.54secs.
At the winner's stand, Peters was as usual a picture of calm that belied his young age and relative inexperience.
"He's a horse who goes very well fresh and has a very good turn of foot. All he needs is a hard pace upfront to finish it off," he said.
"I was never bothered by the wide draw. He's a horse who gets back and I know he can really let down.
"That's what I told Harry (A'Isisuhairi). Get back and let him come into the race as the race unfolds.
"We're definitely looking forward to the mile and the Derby now."
Titanium is graduate of the 2013 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling sale as part of Cambridge Stud draft where he was purchased for $10,000 by Patella Bloodstock and sold again at the 2013 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run sale through the Mana Park draft for $47,500. He was prepared for the Ready to Run Sale by Mark Forbes. -Singapore Turf Club
Peters nearly got off to a dream start with the same Titanium, though, two days only after he launched his career, when beaten a head by longshot In Fact in the Group 3 JBBA Moonbeam Vase (1800m).
The Tavistock four-year-old has since been spelled, and that freshen-up was exactly what Peters was capitalising on at his racing comeback in the first Leg of the Singapore Four-Year-Old Challenge.
The horror gate in 15 did not ruffle him at all as Titanium is well known to be a swooper. The change of rider after Manoel Nunes was stood down was also just a minor kink. He managed to get an able pair of hands in A'Isisuhairi Kasim.
Getting the perfect pairing in the bumper 16-horse field was only a small battle won. The bigger battle was the race itself, but Titanium simply proved to be made of another metal on that day.
As agreed with Peters, A'Isisuhairi quietly parked Titanium at the rear and never looked in a rush to improve while the usual suspects for the pacesetting job rolled along upfront.
Kiwi Karma (Vlad Duric) led after overcoming her wide barrier, but she soon confirmed the fears of those who thought she was a touch suspect over seven furlongs. Rank outsider Bring Money Home (Mohd Zaki) briefly courted with a most unlikely upset of the applecart when he was the first to collar the mare upon straightening, but as brave as his run was, his time at the top was shortlived.
The challenges were then hailing from everywhere.
The two outsiders locked horns for an end-scenario to the Stewards' Cup not many would have foreseen, but it was Titanium who finished the best as he drew clear for a most authoritative 2 ½-length win from My Lucky Strike.
Believe Yourself ran third another short head away, a head in advance of Majestic Moments. Completely ignored in the market at huge odds of $197, Titanium ran the 1400m on the Long Course in 1min 22.54secs.
At the winner's stand, Peters was as usual a picture of calm that belied his young age and relative inexperience.
"He's a horse who goes very well fresh and has a very good turn of foot. All he needs is a hard pace upfront to finish it off," he said.
"I was never bothered by the wide draw. He's a horse who gets back and I know he can really let down.
"That's what I told Harry (A'Isisuhairi). Get back and let him come into the race as the race unfolds.
"We're definitely looking forward to the mile and the Derby now."
Titanium is graduate of the 2013 New Zealand Bloodstock Select Yearling sale as part of Cambridge Stud draft where he was purchased for $10,000 by Patella Bloodstock and sold again at the 2013 New Zealand Bloodstock Ready to Run sale through the Mana Park draft for $47,500. He was prepared for the Ready to Run Sale by Mark Forbes. -Singapore Turf Club