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After twice picking up the bridesmaid's tag, quality miler Super Ninetyseven finally earned his first feature success when he scored a record-breaking win in the $200,000 Group 3 Committee’s Prize (1600m) on Sunday.
Photo by Singapore Turf Club
The Show A Heart four-year-old found one better at his two attempts at Group level when second to the very smart Stepitup in the two Legs of the Singapore Three-Year-Old Challenge, the Group 2 Singapore Three-Year-Old Classic (1400m) and the Group 1 Singapore Guineas (1600m). Stepitup, who also took out the first Leg, was unanimously crowned champion three-year-old by virtue of that cleansweep, but many thought Super Ninetyseven could have lowered his colours if not for his quirks.
The wayward chestnut is known to be his own worst enemy with the way he lugs in and out under pressure, but trainer Michael Freedman was persuaded the penny would drop one day. First-up at his new campaign as a four-year-old, Super Ninetyseven was back in style in the winner’s circle for the Joy N Happiness Stable in a Kranji Stakes A race over 1400m last July, and though shades of the old shenanigans were still visible, Freedman was encouraged with the way he seemed to be a lot more level-headed.
Backed down to $8 favouritism in the Committee’s Prize, a race Freedman won with Always Certain in 2010, Super Ninetyseven was even more impressive in the way he powered away for an uninterrupted run in the final two furlongs after overcoming traffic between the 800m to the 500m to floor his 10 rivals with ease - and incidentally lower Corragio’s record of 1min 33.63secs by 0.02 second on the Short Course, an extremely laudable effort considering the race was run on a yielding track.
The scorching sectionals set by last year’s Committee's Prize winner Keep Away (Mohd Zaki) as he was sooled forward to the lead and was unable to drop anchor with Goodpack (Sam Subian) breathing down his neck, was pivotal to the blistering time.
Originally dropped to last by Moreira, Super Ninetyseven started to rail through coming off the back, albeit looking alarmingly hamstrung in traffic approaching the home turn. But when the field fanned out across the track, a gap on the inside of Shuttle Man (Alan Munro) suddenly sprang up and Moreira needed no second invitation to dive for the saloon passage.
In a few shakes of the rein, Super Ninetyseven bolted clear, though he was still inclined to lose his focus in the last 200m. But class prevailed in the end as he held Born To Fly (Lisa Allpress) and Tropaios (Corey Brown) safely at bay.
Freedman nearly quinellaed the event as Tropaios, who was resuming from his third to Better Life in the Emirates Singapore Derby (2000m) last July, was his second runner. The former French stayer charged home on the outside, but longshot Born To Fly split the Freedman pair to run second 2 ¼ lengths astern, half-a-length ahead of Tropaios.
All smiles at the winner’s circle, delighted no doubt for the owners, who had not captured a feature race since their retired star Super Easy’s farewell win in the Group 1 Patron’s Bowl last June, Freedman was also rapt Super Ninetyseven had broken his duck in a feature race even if he was still not the finished article yet.
“He can be a handful of a horse, but he is definitely improving. He is mentally more mature, and I think he can continue to mentally develop further,” said Freedman.
“I was a bit worried when he looked like he had nowhere to go before the home turn, but Joao cut the corners and he made a lot of ground from there.
“Obviously I’d like to now set him for the Kranji Mile and the Raffles Cup, but I will have to see how he comes through today’s race first. The Gold Cup is also at the back of my mind as he’s out of a Zabeel mare and I would imagine he can step up to that kind of distance, but it will all depend on how he goes in the first two legs.”
The Group 1 Panasonic Kranji Mile (1600m) on October 6 and Group 1 Raffles Cup (1800m) on October 27 are the first two Legs of the Singapore Triple Crown Series which culminates with the Group 1 Longines Singapore Gold Cup (2200m) on November 17.
The Australian handler has in Tropaios another leading Gold Cup bullet, especially after his encouraging third place in Sunday's feature.
“I was very rapt with Tropaios running third. He was still not 100% and that run can only do him a world of good,” he said.
Moreira said at the post-race interview he was further back than he wanted to be, but he always had plenty of faith in his mount.
“What can I say? I was sitting on top of the best horse in the race and he always gave me a lot of confidence, even though he was at the tail of the field,” said the Brazilian who was notching another bumper crop – five (Cheetah King, Euro Zone, Toast's Angel and Street Legal won before) for the day.
“I was probably a little further back than I wanted, but I was happy with my position. I could have elected to go around runners, but if I did that, I would have lost five or six lengths.
“So, I rode him for luck and when the gap came up, he just flew in, but he got to the front too early and started looking around. If I had a horse next to him, he would have kept going.
“But he dug deep and did a good job to go all the way to the line. I think the Gold Cup could be a good race for him in November.”
Super Ninetyseven has now recorded six wins and four placings from 11 starts for stakes earnings in excess of $510,000 for the Joy N Happiness Stable.