One has to feel bad for Sharee Hamilton at the just concluded Selangor meeting.

The Malayan Racing Association’s only woman trainer had entered a team of seven for the 10 races. What could have been the sound of popping champagne corks, turned out to be the sound of flat fizz when three of her runners finished second.

Racing is sometimes a cruel game. Everyone is in it to win, but that being the case, you win some, you lose some – that is racing. 

However, and judging from the trials held on the morning of March 25, Hamilton might soon be able to pick up a winner with a former Kranji campaigner – Laksana, now renamed Garudan.

The son of Wandjina may be eight years old, but we saw at the third trial of the morning that he still had that spring in his step.

A five-time winner for Stephen Gray in Singapore and a winner only once for Hamilton, Garudan put on a gutsy show against some horses half his age.

After clearing the gates, his rider parked him third from last and there he stayed until the top of the straight.

Suddenly, from being right out of it, Garudan was right in it and that momentum carried him to a neck victory over Tipping Point. His time for the sprint trip was 1min 01.94sec.

Owned by the India Horse Club, Garudan scored his last win on Aug 24, 2024. He has since had only four starts and his trial was his first real gallop in 93 days.

Hopefully, in his races coming up, Garudan will be able to break Hamilton’s sequence of second-place finishes.

As for the most impressive winner on the day, the prize must go to Sincefoon Hero.

Ridden by Nuqman Rozi, he held second spot early before taking the lead at the 500m mark.

Shang Chi (Winston Cheah Wei Wen), and Smart Star (Clyde Leck), tried their utmost to peg him back but Sincefoon Hero was not going to be intimidated. A furlong out and Nuqman had it all neatly sewn up.

Sincefoon Hero was home and hosed and he did the trip in a smart time of 1min 0.65sec, suggesting trainer Ricky Choi does have another good one residing in his barn.

Sincefoon Hero was one of many brought over from Macau, where the six-year-old son of Frosted won two races and a couple more trials.

Yes, make no mistake about it. Sincefoon Hero has been well schooled and he is certainly ready, willing and able.

So, watch for the day Choi packs him off for his Malaysian debut.

It could be a winning one.

brian@sph.com.sg