Battle for 3YO honours begins
With already three wins to his name, Platinum Life looks the one to beat in the first heat of the 2019 Malaysian 3YO Championship over 1200m in Ipoh this Sunday.
But results from the previous two years have shown that form books very often got thrown out of the window in an age-group set-weight contest such as this one. And that should make it interesting indeed.
Platinum Life (Mint Lane – Wings Of Alice by Testa Rossa) broke through for his maiden win this time last year in Open Maiden company and went on to land back-to-back double in Class 4 last August.
Promoted to Class 3, the Australian gelding finished on board in three consecutive runs, before being sent for a spell. He resumed racing last month with an unplaced effort but that should take the rough edges off him.
No doubt, Platinum Life’s time on the sidelines was planned by his trainer Chong Keng Leong to freshen him up for the championship series. But will he be back to anywhere near his form of last year?
Also in the line-up this Sunday are four other three-year-olds who have tasted success so far and the one who stands out is Team Winner.
Team Winner (Husson – Romona Miss by Reset) finished third in his debut in Restricted Maiden last September, then followed up a month later to beat some older horses in a weight-for-age Initiation race over 1200m in Ipoh. That victory certainly put him as one of the horses to watch this Sunday.
Team Winner was spelled after that win and resumed last month with a third placing in a Class 4 sprint.
After four promising runs in which he was no worse than fifth, Smart Eagle (Smart Missile – Lesmartre by Jugah) broke through with an easy win in Restricted Maiden back in January and has been kept fresh for his challenge this Sunday.
Unchained Melody (Street Boss – Cellist by Stark South) finished on board in two runs in Restricted Maiden before winning easily in a Class 5 – 1300m event last month.
Mastro Geppetto (Echoes Of Heaven – Apache Sky by Keeninsky) had six runs in which he was placed twice before winning in Open Maiden company last February. He had one more start since.
One of his placings was a third behind Team Winner last October. He also finished fourth to Smart Eagle back in January.
Having found one to beat in two outings so far, Doctor Ginger (Gingerbread Man – Empower Me by Canny Lad) may be heading for a win. But will it be this Sunday?
Also nominated this Sunday are four horses which have yet to make their debut: King’s Order, Tan’s Legenary, Unshadowed General and Lady Lakshmi. Is there be a gem amongst them? The unknown will make the contest an interesting one this Sunday.
The Malaysian Three-Year-Old Championship was first held for three years from 2012 to 2014 and relaunched in 2017 to encourage the importation of quality young horses into the country.
Aragorn (Manhattan Rain – Class Apart by French Deputy) won the 2017 Final which was held at Sungei Besi in Kuala Lumpur.
Step By Step (Captain Gerrard – American Morsecode by All Chatter) won last year’s Final run in Penang.
The Selangor Turf Club will stage the second heat on May 19 and Penang Turf Club third and final heat on June 9. Each heat carries RM100,000 in prizemoney.
Perak Turf Club will host this year’s Final with RM200,000 in prizemoney on June 30.
For more information, please visit the respective club’s websites:
https://www.selangorturfclub.com/