KUALA LUMPUR:  Aug 11, 2024

At the ripe old age of ten, WECANDO proved that he can still raise a gallop when he came a long way back early to capture the Korea Racing Authority Trophy (Class 3 – 1250m) at Sungai Besi today.

The New Zealand gelding came over to Malaysia after notching six wins at Kranji and quickly set out to make his presence felt with four wins in the space of six months.

The son of Per Incanto then mixed up with the best in the country and finished on board four times before be had a crack at the Penang Sprint Trophy last month.

WECANDO finished eighth in the Group 1 sprint but he quickly put that run behind and redeemed himself today.

Beaten for early speed, he was some eight lengths behind the leaders GOLDEN SARDINE and TRIBUTO at the 800m.

But WECANDO made up good grounds on the leaders making the turn into the straight and at the top of the straight, he was on the inside of five runners making up the leading bunch.

Second favourite MILITARY FLAG took the lead shortly after the 400m with jockey Lim Shing Uai patiently waiting for a run on his inside on WECANDO.

That came at the 200m and Lim quickly pushed his mount through and WECANDO raced away in the run home to win by two and a half lengths. CASTELO finished third ahead of a disappointing RM9 odds-on favourite TRIGGER PEGASUS.

“They went too fast early,” Lim said of the other horses. “So I kept my patience and only made my move around the 600m.”

Asked why he did not take his horse out for his run and instead stuck to the rails on the soft track, he said: “It was a calculated move. Jackson (Low Kang Chen on MILITARY FLAG) uses his whip on the left and I knew his horse would eventually drift out. And it did.”

“I actually thought he (WECANDO) would win the Sprint Trophy but he got two very bad checks,” said trainer Frank Maynard.

“Going into today’s race I didn’t think he could beat the younger horses but in the last 200m I knew he was going to be fitter than the other horses as he has done the hard racing this season.

“He has been a good horse for the stable. He won five (races) but should have won seven. But he is 10 years old so I am not going to be carried away. However I will try to up the distance and go for the good races.”

WECANDO paid RM79 for a win but Maynard said it wasn’t that big of a shock. “He should have done very well in the Sprint Trophy,” he added. 

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