Apr 16, 2025

Former Macau sprinter throws in promising effort, as does Ong’s The Man Is Danma

There is more than meets the eye to Shirvo’s uninspiring Malaysian form, but it could be foolish not to have the relative newcomer on your list of “horses to follow”.

Shirvo did show promise with two seconds at his first two starts at his Sungai Besi base, but his last two runs were dismal and best forgotten.

He finished eighth of 14 in that March 16 race which, incidentally, was the Tunku Gold Cup won by Noah Khan and he was again eighth of 11 at his last run on April 5. That one was won by Antipodean, the 2024 Selangor Gold Cup winner.

Granted, Shirvo’s form might look bad on paper. But dig deeper and you will find that the Not A Single Doubt five-year-old is really better than all those negatives.

In a racing career which began in Australia when he was just a two-year-old, Shirvo has put together five victories.

The first was on May 5, 2022 when he won a two-year-old race in Wagga in New South Wales.

Sent over to continue his racing in Macau, he won four races (1,200m to 1,350m) there before joining Wayne Lim Woei Chet’s Selangor yard in early 2025.

We saw that winning flair at the Sungai Besi trials on April 15. Then, he scored a fighting ½-length win over Yes Man (Liang Xiaochuan) after tracking in second spot for most of the 1,000m trip on grass.

His time of 1min 00.92sec was not just mighty close to breaking the minute mark, but it was also the fastest of the morning.

From his first Malaysian trial on Jan 25 when fourth to Faithful Leader, Shirvo has made headway as the last trial suggests.

So watch him when he lines up in the Supreme (A) race (1,200m) coming up on April 20.

It could well turn out to be his first Malaysian win.

Another good run from that same first trial of the morning was put in by Yes Man. He had to settle for that second spot after leading for most of the journey.

That run was in sharp contrast to the two-time winner’s last run on April 6, when he blotted his copybook with a first unplaced run in five starts.

That day, when sent off as the top pick in that Class 4 (A) sprint over 1,200m, he ran last of 11 after getting trapped four deep for much of the journey.

Jockey Mohd Zaki was queried for his forceful tactics, but was let off. The stewards still judged Yes Man had put in a “poor performance”, and ordered the trial – which he passed.

The Yes Yes Yes four-year-old should be followed again when his trainer, Tiang Kim Choi, next sends him to the races.

One horse who has not set the world alight thus far, but showed a glimpse of potential at the trials is The Man Is Danma.

The four-year-old won the second hit-out after a thrilling battle with Graphjet Express (Troy See) whom he beat by a nose.

One more from the “bursting-at-its-seams” stable of Jason Ong, The Man Is Danma has had three unplaced runs at Sungai Besi. But, on the strength of that trial win, he looks ready to run a big race at his next start.

A Brazilian entire by Put It Back, The Man Is Danma has had three trials and, by far, this last one was his best showing.

Ridden by Andre da Silva, The Man Is Danma was best out of the chute and quickly put two lengths on Graphjet Express.

However, he did not have the luxury of a hefty lead as Graphjet Express quickly drew alongside. The pair raced tight when they cleared that first turn on the far side.

It stayed that way right until the finish, where The Man Is Danma got his head down at the right time to steal and seal the win in a not too shabby time of 1min 01.81sec. Ong would have been pleased.

So too, the owners, the Meaghersoon Stable, who seem to have a good one in the barn.

Source : Brian Miller