KUALA LUMPUR: January 26, 2025

Fresh from finishing second on Steparty (behind the winner Schwarz) in the Group 2 Australia Stakes (1200m) at Moone Valley on Friday night, Blaike McDougall flew into Malaysia and wasted no time in notching a double from four rides at Sungai Besi today. 

His two winners, Lightning Gal and Eruption, won in contrasting styles.

Lightning Gal ran true to her name when she came flashing home to win a Open Maiden race over 1100m. But it wasn’t what the filly’s connections had planned.

Placed once in her previous five starts, the hree-year-old filly by Royal Meeting had led and trailed second in her most recent two starts.

This time, Lightning Gal was languishing in midfield, some six lengths behind the leading pack of three horses headed by Lucky Warrior at the 800m.

Lightning Gal closed in on the leaders making the home turn but was still in fifth place. She was held up momentarily at the top of the straight but found a run wide of the track.

Meanwhile, Lucky Warrior shot clear at the 300m and was four lengths in front at the 200m. Lightning Gal was some six lengths adrift of the leader at this stage.

Shortly after, Lightning Gal began to quicken stride and was soon ‘flying’. Closing the gap with every stride, the filly got up in the last couple of strides to win by a half a length.

“My horse was never travelling well and was off the bridle early,” said McDougall. “She didn’t get through the conditions well.

“It was very concerning trying to get her travel fluently.

“At the top of the straight, I thought we had no chance. But to her credit, she knuckled down and finished strongly.”

Eruption, who was making his local debut after winning twice in 11 starts in Singapore, led all the way win in the Class 4A – 1400m handicap.

The favourite Rocky Bhai was cutting down his lead in the closing stages but Eruption had enough to spare, winning by a half a length.

“It’s a horse with a great racing style,” said McDougall. “He didn’t begin the best but he made up and set a nice tempo.

“It was a good win in the end, racing first-up.

“The trainer (Law Moy) was confident that if there is no speed in the race, we would be able to control (the race).

“It’s a great start for my association with Buffalo Racing.”

Both Lightning Gal and Eruption are owned by Buffalo Stable.

McDougal was granted a one-month licence for the final weeks of racing at Kranji last year but he only made it for the final day of racing last Oct 5 during which he had four rides, managing a third on Lover Boy.

McDougall grew up playing football and had no interest in racing though his father Ron was a jockey. But as the future looked bleak for him as a professional footballer, the natural lightweight soon found himself apprenticed to trainer Con Karakatsanis and then David Payne at the age of 18.

McDougall made his debut in 2013 and won aboard the Payne-trained Sumitro in December that year but around eight months later, he quit after feeling burnt out and lived aimlessly for a couple of years before he resurrected his riding career with Sydney trainer John Thompson. Family commitments then brought him to his wife Danielle’s hometown in Albury, New South Wales, where he won the champion country jockey title twice in the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 seasons.

After finishing second to Chris Parnham in the National Jockey’s Premiership in 2021, he moved to Melbourne, where he scored atop the Peter Moody-trained Oxley Road in the 2021 Group 2 Caulfield Sprint. McDougall also has five other Group 3 successes among close to 900 wins in Australia thus far.

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