Real Efecto outslogs rivals at first 2000-metre test
A step up in trip proved to be to the liking of Real Efecto (Real Impact) when he ran out a hard-fought winner of yesterday’s Kranji Stakes C race over 2000 metres.
The four-year-old probably won the race from the halfway mark when Danny Beasley made a bold move three wide.
Seeing a muddling tempo upfront, Beasley decided to serve it up to the frontrunners and after the slugfest of the final 400 metres his mount prevailed with his superior stamina, coming home three-quarters of a length in front of Senor Don (Senor Candy).
Winning trainer David Kok, who also owns shares in Real Efecto, praised Beasley for his preemptive strike.
“The plan was actually to go to the front, but he jumped slowly,” said the Singaporean handler.
“When Danny saw that the pace was slow in the back straight, he decided to make an early move. Credit to the jockey, he won the race for us.
“He stays all day. He’s actually a horse I bought from the Inglis Yearlings sale with the Gold Cup in mind.
“I’ve always wanted to buy a Real Impact as he’s by Deep Impact and I wanted a horse who could stay.
“I’ve won the Singapore Derby and Patron’s Bowl with Well Done and the Kranji Mile with Cash Luck, but not the Gold Cup. It’s a race I really want to win.
“He couldn’t make it for this year, but that’s okay. He’s only four and there’s always next year.”
Kok had been hoping Happy Moment (Showcasing) would make it four in a row two races earlier but the five-year-old had to settle for fourth place behind longshot Hotshots Slam (Swiss Ace) having been forced to race wide throughout.
O’Shea delighted with Cheval Blanc
Assistant trainer Lisa O’Shea felt both a sense of pride and relief after the Stephen Gray-trained Cheval Blanc (Red Jazz) struck in the class 4 race over 1800 metres on the Polytrack.
It was the first time the New Zealander was tasked with the responsibility of filling in as acting trainer after Gray and wife Bridget left for a holiday back in New Zealand last Monday.
O’Shea, who began her Singapore career with Bruce Marsh, and then Kuah Cheng Tee, before joining Gray in 2019, said: “I’ve been running around the whole day! It’s great to get a win, especially from that horse.
“He’s been in Singapore a long time but had many soundness issues, bad feet and joints, mainly.
“The vets and the farriers have also done a great job on him, and credit to the owners for their patience.”
Previously known as Yulong Jazz when the Irish-bred son of Red Jazz (Johannesburg) arrived as a three-year-old in Singapore, Cheval Blanc was recording his first win at his tenth start.
Good Fight hands Nunes much-awaited 500th win
Manoel Nunes was finally able to boot home his 500th Kranji winner when Good Fight (Super One) took out the open maiden over 1200 metres
The milestone had been put on the backburner for nearly four years after the three-time Singapore champion jockey’s licence was not renewed in 2018, but it took the Brazilian just three meetings into his new tenure to knock in the four winners he needed.
With a book of ten rides yesterday, Nunes was odds-on to reach the milestone and he duly crossed that line at only his second ride with the aptly-named Good Fight.
Winning trainer Donna Logan said she had homed in on Nunes for the ride on Good Fight, while totally unaware of the significance of the victory.
“Manoel looked so happy after the win, he told me he’d just won his 500th race in Singapore! I had no idea, and I’m glad I was part of that,” said the Kiwi handler.
“I thought Manoel would suit the horse as he’s a good on-pace rider, and he’s hungry.
“So I rang him up thinking he’d be gone, but surprisingly, he had no ride. He’s proven his ability over the years in Singapore, he’s a top rider and we knew he’d be more than capable of delivering on this horse.”
Nunes went on to complete a treble on the card with victories on board Intrepid (Blackfriars) in the second division of the Class 5 over 1400 metres and Superior Coat (Coats Choice) in division two of the Class 5 (1200m).