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One could be forgiven into thinking that the Michael Clements-trained gelding Totality is older than he really is.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
The now four-year-old has been racing in Singapore now for just on 18 months and it was only a couple of weeks ago that he turned four.
The Danroad gelding had his first start in the very first two-year-old race of the 2011 season, finishing second as an $8 favourite behind Kaiser in the Inglis Melbourne Juvenile Stakes over 1000m on the Polytrack in February that year.
On Sunday Totality lines-up in the $75,000 Progress Stakes over 1200m at start number 15 and returns to the Polytrack for the first time since that debut performance.
It took Totality to his ninth start to finally break through for his maiden victory – a day shy of when he made his debut – before stringing together three wins on the trot.
While he may have lacked maturity early in his career, Clements gave Totality race experience and the then two-year-old contested the inaugural running of the Group 2 Aushorse Golden Horseshoe over 1200m, finishing sixth to Mr Big – at start number five.
It is only now that Totality has started to finally reach the maturity that Clements saw in the gelding that has taken him to a record of three wins and five second placings from his 14 visits to the racetrack.
“He has been consistent throughout his career,” said Clements. “He showed a lot but didn’t get that important first win until recently and then he strung together three in a row.
“He has always been a well grown immature horse but he didn’t start putting it together until later in this three-year-old year.”
After winning his maiden in February, Totality then went on to win in Novice and Class 4 grade – both times over 1400m – before Clements set his sights even higher.
The second and third legs of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge were on the radar with performances that showed the gelding had a touch of class.
He finished second to Super Easy in the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic over 1400m before running sixth to that same horse in the Group 1 Singapore Guineas over 1600m.
“After he won his third race on end we thought he deserved a shot at the Three-Year-Old Challenge,” said Clements.
“I thought he ran really well when second to Super Easy in the 1400m race so then we decided to run him over the mile of the Guineas.
“He raced a little bit keen up on the pace in that race, so in the end it wasn’t too bad an effort.”
Freshened following his Guineas performance, Totality came back on Emirates Singapore Derby Day – July 15 – finishing fourth to Freezemaster in Class 3 company over 1400m.
As he was still a three-year-old, he was giving weight to some talented older horses and was beaten 3.8 lengths behind the Steven Burridge-trained Freezemaster.
“I thought it was a fair run,” said Clemets. “He raced a little wide without any cover but was found wanting in the final furlong.”
His reluctance to race Totality on the Polytrack stems from the fact Clements thought the tighter circuit would not suit his big striding galloper although his trials on the artificial surface had been promising.
“Once we got him out to 1200m and further I didn’t think the Polytrack would suit him,” said Clements.
“He has always trialled well on the track but I was always looking for excuses not to run him on that track and with his immaturity I was certainly not keen to run him.
“With there being no turf racing through August I thought now was the right time to give him another try on the Polytrack.
“He’s the top-rated horse in the race and comes into it pretty well at the weights against the other higher weighted horses.”
Epsom Derby winning jockey Alan Munro again has the ride after guiding the four-year-old into fourth place at his last start.
Munro was aboard Totality when he won a 1000m barrier trial on July 6 in the lead-up to his latest outing and galloped the horse on Wednesday morning in preparation for Sunday’s race.
“Alan’s been on him in a trial and at his last start and gave him his final gallop,” said Clements.
“Alan’s happy with him and hopefully we’ll see him back in the winner’s circle again.”