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The Premier Racing Stable were enjoying a prosperous start to the Lunar New Year with two winners on the board on Sunday – Sand Bank and Fast Edition.
Both gallopers were at their second wins this season with Sand Bank even registering back-to-back wins within a week.
Wade Burridge, one of the key members of the racing syndication, said the two wins which capped a fairly prolific start to the year (five in total thus far) was a harbinger to the future of racing ownership in Singapore.
“We are doing the same thing as the China Horse Club,” said trainer Steven Burridge’s son in reference to the day’s sponsor of the two inaugural Group races later in the proceedings.
“Of course, they are financially stronger, but the principle remains the same and that is the way racing is going around the world.
“There are 42 brand new owners in both of those two horses. Sri Lankan cricket player Mahela Jawadena, who scored 100 runs plus for his country, is an owner of Fast Edition ($11), as well as his fellow teammate Kumar Sangakarra, who is the best player in the world.
“As for Sand Bank, he is named after a new bar on the East Coast. It was great to see him winning by reproducing the same tactics that he used last time out. Froggy (Craig Newitt) gets along well with him and rode him a treat again.”
Just like at his last win in a Restricted Maiden race over 1200m last Friday week, Sand Bank ($18), a three-year-old by Dubleo, flew the lids from the start to take up the running in the $75,000 Novice race over 1400m.
With the small field of six runners (after Royal Ruler was scratched), Sand Bank was able to dictate his own rhythm to the race. Newitt stacked up the speed from the 600m, which did not seem to sit too well with favourite Free Happy (Manoel Nunes) who was seen reefing and tearing right behind Sand Bank.
No Smoking Jeff (Alan Munro) tried to inject some speed into the race from the halfway mark but Newitt had given his mount enough breather to still have plenty of petrol left in the last bit.
Free Happy and Mighty Warrior (Corey Brown) ran on but the bird had already flown. Sand Bank posted a three-quarter-length victory from Free Happy with Mighty Warrior third another neck away, but the runner-up spots were later reversed after Brown lodged a successful protest against Nunes for interference at the home turn.